Budget airlines launch new routes in fillip to air travel
Three low-cost airlines have come up with a wide range of international flight routes in a bid to boost aviation business recovery post the pandemic.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has forecast that the increase in international flights could attract at least 40 million foreign arrivals to Thailand next year, a slight increase compared to this year’s goal of 36.7 million people.
Thai AirAsia has opened five routes in a bid to attract up to 21 million passengers this year. These include Bangkok (Don Mueang Airport) to Hyderabad in India and Phu Quoc in Vietnam, as well as Phuket to Siem Reap in Cambodia, and Kolkata and Chennai in India.
Thai AirAsia commercial director Tansita Akrarittipirom confirmed that the airline has witnessed a significant growth in Indian tourists.
She expects the cabin factor of 14 Thailand-India flight routes to exceed 90% this year, while hoping that Indian tourists would help stimulate spending in Thailand.
Meanwhile, Thailand-India flight routes would offer new travel experiences for Thai travellers, she said, adding that the Bangkok-Phu Quoc route would become popular among travellers with spectacular sea views and the world’s longest cable car among tourist attractions.
Thai AirAsia Phuket station manager Arun Lilapantisitti said the airline’s domestic and international flights at the Phuket International Airport have received a good response among travellers.
He expects the airline’s new flight routes and the government’s tourism stimulus measures to attract more travellers and spending in Phuket.
Thai Lion Air said the airline kicked off a new flight route from Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Amritsar in India on October 28, with four flights a week.
The airline also aimed to operate flights from Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Okinawa in Japan. The aircraft will visit Taiwan’s Kaohsiung before heading to the southernmost prefecture in Japan, from January 21 next year.
Meanwhile, Vietjet Thailand has announced plans to expand its flights to popular destinations in Japan this year, which include Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi)-Okinawa from Friday (November 2) and Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi)-Hokkaido from December 17.
Similar to Thai Lion Air, Vietjet Thailand’s aircraft will visit Taiwan’s Taipei before heading to Okinawa or Hokkaido.
