The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, or CAAT, ordered a ban on domestic flights in Thailand to and from dark red areas, with a few exceptions. As this includes Bangkok and Chonburi and the major airports in these areas where most domestic airlines are based, many have suspended flights entirely.
The ban will officially start on Wednesday, July 21.
There are some exceptions, such as emergency landings, medical flights, and flights in connection with Sandbox programs like Phuket. However, the surprise ruling has still reportedly left some people, including in Phuket and Koh Samui, stranded as they were planning to take flights after their Sandbox program to other parts of Thailand, and now those are suspended in maximum control (dark red zones) like Bangkok and Chonburi, home of Pattaya.
Domestic flights in other areas can still fly, but only at 50% capacity, which has also reportedly led to some canceled flights.
The order is until further notice, without an expiration date. This is only domestic flights at this time and does not affect international flights coming in for people planning to take part in the Sandbox program or quarantine.
Source: The Pattaya News, Bangkok Post