August 31st, 2020
It seems the Emirates flight from Dubai to Bangkok the airline announced will be kicking off on September 1st is fictitious, and possibly nothing more than an advertising campaign the airline is running in an effort to milk unsuspecting would-be-tourists of their money.
According to an announcement from the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Dubai, and reported by Thailand-based blogger Richard Barrow (see his tweet below), any Emirates flights from Dubai to Bangkok will not be allowed to enter Thailand.
Even if passengers do book seats on them and flights are full.
After all, commercial flights to Thailand are still banned and are likely to be banned for the foreseeable future, with only repatriation flights organized by the Royal Thai Embassies and Royal Thai Consulates able to fly into Thailand.
The announcement goes on to say:
“For Thai nationals and permitted foreigners who reside in the UAE and wish to enter Thailand in 2020, the Royal Thai Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Dubai are currently organizing a repatriation flight to Bangkok by Etihad Airways, EY 406, on 9th September, 2020.
Please follow the instructions as stated in the Embassy’s Announcement No. 43/2563 dated 18th August, 2020″.
Be aware it is not just Etihad that is misleading passengers by announcing flights to Bangkok that are not currently possible to board.
British Airways has also been doing the same, as have several other airlines around the world.
This is predominantly due to plummeting numbers of airline passengers as a result of governments panicking about COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns, quarantines, border closures and, thus, flight cancellations that have resulted.
Airlines, therefore, are grasping at straws in an attempt to make any income as many are bordering on bankruptcy and closure.
Before passengers book a flight to Bangkok or anywhere else in Thailand, therefore, it is recommended they check with a Thai Consulate or Embassy about current restrictions for admittance to Thailand.
Following the announcement that Emirates will start flying from Dubai to Bangkok from 1 September, the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Dubai has released a statement saying that this is not possible as no commercial flights are allowed to enter Thailand until further notice. pic.twitter.com/wLTvpGU4b5
— Richard Barrow in Thailand 🇹🇭🇬🇧 (@RichardBarrow) August 28, 2020