"flights"

Budget airline Nok Air will discontinue its Bangkok-Betong flights at the end of October unless it gets additional state assistance to help offset heavy losses, its chief executive Wutthiphum Jurangkool said on Thursday.

Aviation authorities expect the number of flights to and from Thailand to recover to pre-Covid levels late this year after entry restrictions were lifted on Sunday.

Thailand should have 7 per cent more flights landing in its airports next month, once Covid-19 prevention measures are further relaxed.

Nok Air will begin flying again from Bangkok to Betong Airport in Yala province on April 29, according to the Betong Tourism Association.

Up to 4,000 Russian tourists are stranded in Phuket after two airlines – S7 and Aeroflot – announced they were suspending direct flights to the province from Russia.

A spokesperson also said Indian carriers were being encouraged to operate chartered flights between India and Ukraine.

More than 4,000 flights have been canceled across the United States on Saturday as the storm is expected to last into Sunday.

"Airlines for weeks have been forced to cancel flights because of staff shortages driven by the surge in COVID-19 cases nationwide and inclement weather across the country," said the report.

Airlines struggled to recover Monday from pockets of wintry weather and an omicron-driven surge in caseloads that triggered staffing shortages and another 1,200 flight cancellations.

While airline travel was starting to pick back up before the Omicron variant emerged, the massive spike in positive COVID-19 cases seen in recent weeks has become a cause for concern to airlines in keeping airline staff and passengers safe.

As a preventive measure, France has decided, along with other Europe Union countries, to suspend flights from seven Southern African countries.

The new service will commence with flights from 16 December 2021 and will be followed by three-time weekly scheduled seasonal services from March 2022, with a further review and potential increase in frequency based on demand and regulatory approval