Budget airline Thai Vietjet has commenced services between Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Fukuoka Airport, located on the north shore of Japan’s Kyushu island. The route is the airline’s only service linking Thailand and Japan.
The airline will operate the route three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays with an approximate flight duration of 5 hours 30 minutes. The Bangkok to Fukuoka flight departs at 2:05am and lands at 9:30am. The Fukuoka to Bangkok route will depart at 10:30am and arrive at 2:10pm.
The route’s inaugural flight from Bangkok was given a warm welcome at Fukuoka Airport on Saturday from Consul General of the Royal Thai Embassy in Fukuoka Sorut Sukthaworn, Deputy Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Fukuoka Office Keng Chaivarin, Deputy Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture Ryousuke Shoujima, Deputy Mayor of Fukuoka City Hiroaki Mitsuyama, Director, President and CEO of Fukuoka Airport Testsuya Nagasao and Executive Vice President of Thai Vietjet Luong Truong.
Chief Executive Officer of Thai Vietjet Woranate Laprabang commented on the potential of the new route…
“The new service Bangkok – Fukuoka launch today marks another successful milestone for Thai Vietjet’s network expansion this year, right after travel restriction has been lifted in many countries. We are thrilled to connect Thailand and Japan for the 1st time through direct flights which provide more leisure and business accessibility and opportunities for the citizens & travelers from both countries. After a long period of pandemic disruption, the services connecting Thailand and Japan will play a critical role in assisting the two nations’ trade & economic recovery while also serving the growing travel demand in the region.”
Thai Vietjet teamed up with AIS to provide all passengers on the inaugural flight with a SIM2FLY 5G sim card so they can stay connected during their time in Japan. The sim card works in 32 countries and is popular among Thais travelling out of the kingdom for both business and leisure.
Vietjet Group also operates services from Hanoi in Vietnam to Fukuoka and Nagoya, three and four times per week respectively. Passengers travelling from Fukuoka to Bangkok may go on to take connecting Thai Vietjet flights to Phuket, Krabi and Chiang Mai.
Japan’s border is open to international tourists but only those who book approved tours. To enter Japan, visitors must apply to travel on fully-packaged tours through authorised agents. For tourists who meet the entry requirements, there is no quarantine, no vaccination requirement on no on-arrival testing. The current entry requirements are as follows…
Tourists to Japan are only welcome from countries designated “blue” (this includes the United States, Australia, and many other countries)
Group travel is not required, but tourists must be on fully escorted tours with fixed itineraries
A visa is required for all tourists (even from countries usually exempt)
Travel insurance that covers unforeseen medical expenses related to Covid-19 is required
All visitors must provide evidence of negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure
Entry requirements are subject to change, so ensure to double check them before travelling to Japan.
SOURCE: Travel Daily News