Phuket International Airport General Manager Thanee Chuangchoo said that people wanting to board the flight started queuing up at the check-in counters at 6:20am.
German embassy staff and airline staff checked travel documents and provided passenger information before check-in opened at 7:10am. Check-in staff took two hours to clear all passengers boarding the flight, Mr Thanee said.
Phuket airport will close from 00:01am on April 10 and remain closed through to April 30, as the island enters its final stage of lockdown, with no unauthorised persons allowed into or out of Phuket.
The airport closure was confirmed by Airports of Thailand (AoT) management atthe airport on Monday (Mar 30). (See story here.)
The announcement of the closure of the airport also follows the bridges onto and off the island being locked down as of midnight last night, along with all boats and piers no longer allowed to permit entry except for emergency vehicles and vessels, and vehicles and boats delivering essential consumer goods and medical equipment and supplies. (See stories here and here.)