Thai airline halts some domestic flights due to air pollution
Bangkok Airways, one of Thailand’s main airlines, on Wednesday confirmed that it will suspend flights between Bangkok and a northern province for more than a month because of poor visibility caused by air pollution.
Bangkok Airways is suspending some domestic flights as smog could make visibility too poor for planes to land. Photo courtesy of straitstimes.com.
The carrier said flights from Bangkok to the north-western town of Mae Hong Son because smog was expected to make visibility too poor to land. The company experienced the same problem in 2024, when smog levels were extremely high.
The airport authority in Mae Hong Son, a popular stop of travelers in northern Thailand, announced on Facebook last week that flights would be suspended from March 15 to April 20.
Air pollution spikes in Thailand, especially in the north, between December and April as farmers burn stubble to prepare land for the next crop season. The Thai government banned crop burning early in 2025, with violators facing fines and legal action, although it is not yet clear what impact the measures are having.
The air quality index for Mae Hong Son was 7.9 times greater than World Health Organisation guidelines, according to IQ Air data, which measures global air pollution.
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