Flight TG478 will depart Sydney at 9:30am every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and touch down in Phuket at 2:40pm, the airline said in its announcement.
The plane will remain in Phuket for 90 minutes before taking off at 4:10pm to continue on to Bangkok, where it will land at 5:10pm.
In addition to launching the non-stop Sydney-Phuket Flights in December, Thai Airways International Chief Commercial Officer Nond Kalinta earlier this month announced that from Nov 1 THAI will be operating flights to Phuket from no less than seven international destinations.
The move was “in support of the Government’s policy to welcome international visitors to Thailand as of 1st November and in response to increasing demands for air travel on international routes,” Mr Nond said.
“THAI, as a national flag carrier aiming at reviving the country’s economy and travel and tourism industry, has arranged and adjusted its flight schedules and offered full inflight services as per the latest COVID-19 control measures for its Winter Flight Programme during 31 October 2021 – 26 March 2022,” he added.
THAI Airways Winter Schedule for Oct 31, 2021 – March 26, 2022 in support of the Phuket Sandbox campaign is as follows:
- Bangkok – Phuket – London (v.v.): three flights per week every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
- Bangkok – Phuket – Frankfurt (v.v.): three flights per week every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
- Bangkok – Munich – Phuket – Bangkok: one flight per week every Friday, starting 1 January 2022.
- Bangkok – Phuket – Paris (v.v.): twice weekly flights every Tuesday and Thursday.
- Bangkok – Phuket – Copenhagen (v.v.): one flight per week every Thursday.
- Bangkok – Phuket – Stockholm (v.v.): one flight per week every Friday.
- Bangkok – Zurich – Phuket – Bangkok: one flight per week every Friday.
News of the new direct Sydney-Phuket flights was first revealed in Phuket by Matthew Barclay, Australian Consul-General in Phuket, speaking at the Joint Chambers Phuket Business Briefing “What’s Ahead - Phuket’s Plan for Kickstarting the Economy”, led by the Australian Chamber of Commerce, held at Boat Lagoon Marina a week ago.
“We are already seeing early signs that airlines will re-engage with Australia and that Australian airlines will re-engage with Phuket and Southern Thailand very soon,” Mr Barclay said.
Since then, Jetstar, the low-cost airline wholly owned by Qantas, has announced it will resume its Sydney to Phuket flights on Jan 12.
The return flights from Australia come as the southern continent reopens to allow its citizens to travel abroad.
Australia will lift a ban on citizens travelling overseas without permission, the government announced Wednesday (Oct 27), with the country’s border set to open to skilled workers and international students by year’s end, reported AFP.
More than 18 months after Australia closed its international borders, fully vaccinated citizens will no longer have to seek an exemption to leave the country, a joint statement from the health and home affairs ministries said.
It comes as the country’s adult double-dose vaccination rate edged closer to an 80% target.
Home Affairs minister Karen Andrews said that while Australian citizens were currently being prioritised, more travel restrictions ‒ including for some non-citizens ‒ would be eased as vaccination rates increased.
“Before the end of the year, we anticipate welcoming fully vaccinated skilled workers and international students,” she said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who foreshadowed the changes earlier this month, said Australia was now “very close” to announcing a reciprocal travel bubble with Singapore, which announced late Tuesday that Australians no longer had to quarantine on arrival.
Qantas flights to Singapore are scheduled to resume on Nov 22.