NokAir to start flying from Nakhon Ratchasima to Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Phuket later this year
Low-cost airline NokAir has applied to start operating domestic flights to and from Nakhon Ratchasima Airport, which has been shut since 2019, a source said.
Some 26 kilometres from downtown Nakhon Ratchasima, the airport first opened on December 5, 1997, to serve the domestic market. However, after years of running at a loss due to low passenger load, the airport was closed. During all of 2019, the airport had only served 39 passengers.
“NokAir will operate seven flights between Nakhon Ratchasima and Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Phuket,” the source said. “The airline expects to start providing the flights by the second and third quarter of this year. It also plans to add six airplanes to its domestic fleet within 2022.”
The source added that before the closure, many airlines flew in and out of Nakhon Ratchasima Airport but had to cancel flights due to an underwhelming response. The airlines included Thai Airways, Air Andaman, New Gen Airways, AirAsia and Happy Air.
