The Irish and Thai governments have vowed to "accelerate" talks about launching direct flights between Dublin and Bangkok.
The pledge was made following a meeting between the Minister of State for Sport, Charlie Mc McConalogue, and the Thailand's Minister for Tourism and Sport, Atthakorn Sirilatthayakorn.
The two ministers held talks in Bangkok today as part of the Government’s St. Patrick’s Day visit to Southeast Asia.
The pair discussed a range of topics including "the possibility of connectivity between the two countries in light of the conflict in the Middle East", which has severely impacted international travel.
Minister McConalogue described the meeting, which covered national sports, diplomacy, trade and tourism, as "very productive".
Speaking afterwards, he said they were both "concerned" by the ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East.
Minister McConalogue said his Thai counterpart noted that "uncertainty is affecting their tourism market, given the area is used by many as a transit hub to Southeast Asia".
"We both agreed on the benefits of building on our links and to accelerate talks about a direct connection between Dublin and Bangkok."
"I will now bring this matter back to my colleague, Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien, and work with him and other colleagues in Government on the real potential that a direct flight presents for both countries", he added.
A spokesperson for the Minister for Sport said figures from the Dublin Airport operator, daa, showed that annual passenger travel between Dublin and Bangkok now exceeds 80,000 passengers a year.
"This does not include other destinations in Thailand, such as Phuket, which sees an additional 30,000 passengers a year."
