Waiting here in Nanjing for news of flights to exotic destinations has become tedious to say the least; many locals now have expired passports! So there is joy at news there shall very soon be flights between Nanjing and the paradise of Phuket.
Commencing as soon as the day after tomorrow, Chinese New Year’s Day, the island jewel that is Phuket off the southwestern coast of Thailand shall be within direct reach of Nanjingers.
It’s also something of a travel bonanza, given that not one, but two airlines, are to start multiple-weekly flights between the Southern Capital and the Land of Smiles’ escape made famous worldwide by a 007 film.
Starting things off is Juneyao Airlines, which will fly an Airbus 320 out of Nanjing Lukou International Airport on Sunday, 22 January, at a planned-departure time of 12:10, to touch down in Phuket at 16:25 local time.
That flight, numbered HO1639, shall return as HO1640, departing Phuket at 17:30, with a scheduled arrival in Nanjing of 23:25. With each taking around 5 hours, Juneyao’s flights are scheduled for every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Following their debut, China Eastern Airlines shall then commence its services between Nanjing and Phuket on 26 January, with flights each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, as the Amazing Thailand official WeChat account has revealed.
Also using A320 equipment, flight MU2813 from Nanjing to Phuket shall depart Lukou at 12:40, for a 17:00 arrival at Phuket International Airport, while the return leg, flight MU2814, will leave Phuket at 17:50, getting back into Nanjing at 23:30.
It’s a very pleasant 30 degrees Celsius almost daily in Phuket, meaning that many will be coming for the area’s pristine, if at times crowded, beaches. Yet, Phuket has much else to offer, including the the so-called Sino-Portuguese town houses that line the City’s streets, many of which are now museums.
However, there is no escaping the fact that some headed for Phuket shall have included on their itinerary a visit to James Bond Island (real name Koh Tapu; “Nail Island” in Thai; pictured). Made famous worldwide in 1974’s “The Man with the Golden Gun” starring Roger Moore, the splinter of rock that rises out of an emerald sea was partly instrumental in kick starting Thailand’s international-tourism industry.
Finally, but still with the movies, it’s a rather-expensive day trip from Phuket by speedboat (40 kilometres into the Strait of Malacca) to the beach made famous by “The Beach”. The 2000 blockbuster, starring Leonardo diCaprio, became controversial for environmental damage caused by the filmmakers and the follow-up explosion in tourism to the area as a result. But 2 decades have passed and, as Thailand Dialogue points out, “Evidence of these changes is difficult to find anymore”.
