Airports of Thailand (AoT) PCL said that about 160 flights were either cancelled or rescheduled in the northern provinces of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai during the Loy Krathong festival on Nov 10-12.

AoT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn said that the changes concerned about 150 flights at Chiang Mai airport and about 10 flights at Chiang Rai airport.

He also said AoT asked people not to release floating lanterns, hot-air balloons, fireworks and drones or emit laser beams near airports for the sake of aircraft safety.

Chiang Mai airport deputy director Thananrat Prasertsri said that 96 flights were cancelled and 55 flights were rescheduled at Chiang Mai airport and they accounted for 22.63% of all flights there during the Loy Krathong festival period. The changes were aimed at avoiding floating lanterns usually released in the northern province in the Loy Krathong festival, he said.

Meanwhile, the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said that its survey found people would spend 9.57 billion baht on the Loy Krathong day on Nov 11. The amount would be 2.3% less than the spending in the same festival last year. The university attributed the decline to people’s concerns about their cost of living.

Source: TNA
Photo: North Public News