On Friday morning, Bangkok Airways announced the suspension of its morning flights between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son until at least Saturday as the local haze condition continues to worsen.
According to a report on Bangkok Post, two morning flights between the two provinces — PG351 to Mae Hong Son that was due to depart on 9.20am, and PG352 to Chiang Mai scheduled for 10.35am — were cancelled. The cancellation was abrupt but necessary, considering the fact that both airports were shrouded by thick haze, which reduced visibility down to just two kilometres. This is a problem as the aircraft used to serve the route, the ATR-72, requires a minimum visibility of six kilometres to take off and land safely.
The airline said 10 morning flights have been cancelled over the past five days, and the suspensions will continue until tomorrow because of the poor visibility.