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Emirates operates special flight to Phuket to signal re-start of tourism in popular Thai destination

First international carrier to return to Thai resort island since border re-opening.

BANGKOK, THAILAND – On 2 November 2020, Emirates operated a special flight to Phuket International Airport, making it the first international carrier to arrive at the popular island destination since Thailand re-opened its borders for international travellers. The special service coincides with the visit of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and a delegation of government leaders to boost confidence in the tourism sector and demonstrate Phuket’s readiness to welcome international and domestic travellers.

Flight EK376 was operated with a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, starting its journey from Dubai International Airport at 02:10 and arriving in Phuket at 14:20 local time, after a short layover in Bangkok. The first international flight, which heralds the return of international travel to Phuket, was welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute upon arrival at the airport, in the presence of a VIP delegation led by the Prime Minister and other Thai government officials representing the travel and tourism sector, in addition to the airport authority’s executive management team, Emirates representatives and media.

With safety as a priority, Emirates is gradually expanding its passenger services to 99 cities in November, allowing travellers to connect safely and conveniently to the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia Pacific via Dubai. Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees.

Customers from Emirates’ network can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for international business and leisure visitors. Negative COVID-19 PCR test certificates are mandatory for all visitors arriving in Dubai (with a few exceptions), while passengers with onward connections will need to either present a certificate before boarding or take a COVID-PCR test on arrival at their final destination if it is mandated by the country they are travelling to.

Emirates has been serving Thailand since 1990 with this year marking the airline’s 30th anniversary in the Kingdom. In September, Emirates resumed its daily scheduled services between Dubai and Bangkok and just recently began offering semi-commercial flights between Bangkok and Hong Kong, also on a daily basis.

Destination Dubai: From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai is one of the most popular global destinations. In 2019, the city welcomed 16.7 million visitors and hosted over hundreds of global meetings and exhibitions, as well as sports and entertainment events. Dubai was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe?Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses?Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and?safety.

Free, global cover for COVID-19 related costs: Customers can now travel with confidence, as Emirates has committed to cover COVID-19 related medical expenses, free of cost, should they be diagnosed with COVID-19 during their travel while they are away from home. This cover is immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until 31 December 2020, and is valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first sector of their journey. This means Emirates customers can continue to benefit from the added assurance of this cover, even if they travel onwards to another city after arriving at their Emirates destination.

Health and safety: Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers.

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Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.

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