The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has disrupted air travel to and from Thailand, affecting a total of 54 flights at Suvarnabhumi Airport and Phuket International Airport since Saturday, according to airport authorities.
Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) said on Sunday that 32 flights were impacted at Suvarnabhumi Airport between Saturday and Sunday morning.
These included 16 inbound and 16 outbound services operated by nine airlines based in or connected to the conflict-affected region.
The carriers were El Al Israel Airlines, Air Arabia, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Arkia Israel Inland Airlines, Kuwait Airways and World2Fly.
Airport staff were deployed to assist affected passengers on the second floor of the Suvarnabhumi passenger terminal near Gates 1 and 10.
AoT said the airlines arranged accommodation for travellers whose flights were disrupted, adding that no outbound passengers were stranded at the airport.
At Phuket International Airport, authorities reported that 22 flights were affected over the same period, comprising 11 arrivals and 11 departures. The flights were operated by Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia and Unicair.
Phuket airport management said that on Saturday, Etihad Airways flight ETD 417 departed Phuket for Abu Dhabi at 3:30pm but was forced to return to Phuket at 8:30pm as a precautionary measure to ensure passenger safety.
Authorities said they continue to monitor the situation closely and are coordinating with airlines to minimise further disruption.
