Thailand to ease international flight ban

Thailand will ease a ban on international passenger flights into the country from 1 July, nearly three months after first imposing it on 4 April. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand will permit international passenger flights to operate into Thailand carrying 11 permitted categories of passenger. These include returning Thai nationals; foreign nationals with a valid Thai work permit, or those studying in the country; and any passenger covered by a “special arrangement” with a foreign country. The authority did not specify if transit passengers are allowed, or when scheduled international passenger flights will resume. Thailand will continue to allow emergency landings, technical stops, cargo flights, repatriation flights, as well as humanitarian, medical and relief missions into the country. Also allowed with be state and military flights. The easing comes as Thailand extends its national state of emergency by an additional month to 31 July.<br/>