TCEB Situation Update Travel Advisory: COVID-19 virus on 1 May 2020<br> Domestic flights strict disease-control rules

TCEB Situation Update

Travel Advisory: COVID-19 virus on 1 May 2020
Domestic flights strict disease-control rules

Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has issued safety practices for domestic flight operation, to be resumed on 1 May 2020. The key practices are as follows:

1. Limit the number of seats and passenger will sit one-seat apart from each other, except the following cases:

    1.1) Seat arrangement is already made with the distance enough for disease prevention

    1.2) Small aircraft operating as a chartered flight with no more than 19 seats in total

    1.3) Aircraft with no more than 90 seats but air ticket must be sold not more than 70% of the total seats

2. In case screening is not conducted at airport of departure, non-contact infrared thermometer will be used with passengers before boarding. If the temperature is higher than 37.3 degrees Celsius or respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, runny nose, wheezing it must be immediately reported to public health officials. If risk is diagnosed, no boarding pass will be issued.

3. Social distancing must be adhered to throughout the flight. This includes transferring passengers to embark or disembark in whatever means, luggage handling overhead, waiting to use the toilet. Social distancing for passengers with special needs must be exercised, as well.

4. Passengers must wear surgical mask all the time, from boarding to disembarking. Boarding pass will not be issued to non-wearer when the mask cannot be provided.

5. Food and drink will not be served. Passengers are not allowed to eat and drink. In case of emergency, the crew can arrange drinking water for passenger but at a distance away from other passengers as much as possible.

6. Alcohol gel will be provided for passengers

7. Flight crew must wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

    7.1) Pilot must wear surgical mask

    7.2) Flight attendants must wear disposable medical rubber gloves. Eye glasses, face shield or any disease preventable gears can be used, as well. Universal Precautions Kits (UPK) will be provided for each flight

8. For the flight taking more than 90 minutes, two seats at the last row, on either side, will be allotted to isolate passenger suspected of illness to enable observation and prevention.

9. If passenger or crew shows sign of illness or is suspected of infection while on board, On-Board Emergency Quarantine will be observed as follows

    9.1) Isolate the suspected or ill person and have them take window seat on the right of the last row, keeping away from other passengers as much as possible

    9.2) The toilet at the rear end will be allocated for the isolation

    9.3) One flight attendant will be assigned to perform the duty in the isolated zone and he/she must avoid close contact with other flight attendants at less than 2 meters.

    9.4) The pilot must inform air traffic controller of such illness or suspected illnes

10. Passengers will be notified before embarkation and on board of the safety practices. Non-compliance is legally punishable.

11. Disinfection will be conducted in passenger cabin according to the standards of the Ministry of Public Health when the flight terminates.

Reference

https://www.caat.or.th/th/archives/49815 (TH)

https://thailand.prd.go.th/mobile_detail.php?cid=4&nid=9405

https://newsroom.airasia.com/news/2020/4/27/covid-19-flying-safe-with-airasia-safety-measures-airasia-implements-on-ground-and-in-flight

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Information about COVID-19 outbreak from WHO

https://www.who.int/thailand/emergencies/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports

Disease Control Department call centre 1422, 24-hour

https://ddc.moph.go.th/viralpneumonia/eng/news.php

Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) call +66 (0) 2694 6000

https://www.businesseventsthailand.com/en/situation-update-coronavirus-covid-19 or info@tceb.or.th.