The development came as industry leaders said they did not believe the flooding in the South would affect long-term tourism in the region.

Chula Sukmanop, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), said airlines operating in the South had kept fares below the stipulated price ceiling, so there was no need for CAAT to intervene regarding pricing.

He said many passengers travelling with budget airlines had claimed that they were overcharged when booking tickets to the South after 16 provinces in the region were affected by severe flooding since last week.

But CAAT assured consumers the airlines had not violated pricing rules.

Air traffic chaos

“We have monitored airfares and found that no airline was setting prices higher than the ceiling level, which meant there is nothing wrong with airfares. Those who book last-minute will definitely pay higher prices,” Chula said. He added that Nakorn Si Thammarat Airport should re-open on Thursday if the flooding situation improves. The airport was closed on Friday.

Four budget airlines – Thai Smile Airways, Nok Air, Thai AirAsia, and Thai Loin Air – operate from Bangkok to Nakorn Si Thammarat. The airport’s closure caused air traffic chaos and many delayed flights across the Kingdom.

Ittirit Kinglake, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said that the flooding would only hit the tourism sector in the short term as it was part of the seasonal monsoon period.

Ittirit said the situation was not expected to damage the overall tourism industry, as many foreign tourists had maintained their plans to visit the country. However, the tourism sector in the first quarter will not have high growth due to other factors, including economic instability and currency fluctuations, Ittirit said.

“The inundation will not hit tourism in other destinations for long including Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui ,” Ittirit said.