Airport Warning Travellers About 30 Face Mask Limit

Airport management at Suvarnabhumi International has warned travellers they are not allowed to take more than 30 face masks when departing the country unless they have a medical certificate.

The Suvarnabhumi airport posted an announcement on its Facebook page on Friday saying that passengers with a medical certificate could take up to 50 medical face masks with them.

If not, the limit was 30 per person.

In an announcement published on Jan 25, 2022, on the Royal Gazette website, the government’s central committee on prices published a list of products that will be under state price control.

Items such as medical face masks, polypropylene (spunbond), a raw material for making the masks, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, recyclable paper, and chickens and chicken meat.

For one year, the regulation will be in effect.

In March 2020, the AoT and the Department of Internal Trade issued regulations preventing travellers from bringing more than 30 medical face masks abroad. The regulation was in effect until June 30, 2020.

Flight passengers have been warned that a violation of the Price of Goods and Services Act of 1999 may result in a five-year prison sentence and/or a fine of 100,000 baht.

UPDATE: Suvarnabhumi U-turns on face mask limit

Meanwhile, The Thaiger reports that the wearing of face masks is not mandated by law…. according to Thailand’s health minister. People should, however, continue to wear them to prevent Covid-19 from spreading, he said.

Anutin Charnvirakul cited warnings from the CCSA that those refusing to wear masks would be fined. The Royal Gazette published an order in June 2021 requiring the wearing of face masks in public places.

First-time violators are subject to a fine of 1,000 baht, and repeat offenders can be fined up to 20,000 baht. In a recent Facebook post, the CCSA reminded the public of the penalties, but then removed it.

The first flight arrives at Bettong Airport

In other airport news, The Thaiger reports, Thailand’s southernmost province of Yala is finally set to host the long-awaited Betong Airport next month.

Betong’s first charter flight landed with 78 passengers, marking the opening of the new gateway to the destination.

On the flight were businesspeople from the area and an aide to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, who hailed the event as the inaugural flight since the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has now granted Betong Airport its certification and licence to operate and receive flights.

With Betong Airport, travel routes to the Deep South will be open from all over the country. With its mountainous geography and only a few small, winding roads, Betong has been particularly hard to access. Previously the southernmost airport in Thailand, Narathiwat, located 3 and a half hours north, has been declared ready for operation by the new airport director.

Although the airport is nestled in the divot where Thailand and Malaysia meet, flight paths have been carefully planned so that domestic flights cannot cross into the Malaysian airspace that surrounds it on three sides.

Two commercial airlines have applied to operate flights between the Hat Yai and Betong, and between the Don Mueang in Bangkok and Betong Airport.

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