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Thailand’s first low-cost airline founder has died at the age of 66. Udom Tantiprasongchai, who passed away yesterday, started his business in 1994 with Cambodia International Airlines. The airline began operating regular flights from Phnom Penh to Phuket before expanding to other areas in Southeast Asia. After his airline licences were revoked by the Cambodian government, he started Orient Thai Airlines in Thailand where he introduced flights between cities that didn’t pass through Don Mueang Airport. Later on, the airlines added Don Mueang to its destinations but claimed the government was blocking access to Thai airports to protect Thai Airways International. Then, in 2012, Udom set up Thailand’s first low-budget airline, One-Two-Go, as the government opened up to new competition. That airline fought with other low-cost airlines who were accused of dumping air tickets. Tragedy was not far off, as a flight from Don Mueang crash-landed at Phuket Airport, killing 90 people on … [Read more...] about Thailand’s first low-cost airline founder dies

Yesterday, director general Chula Sukmanop of The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), granted nine airlines permission to halt their flights due to the Covid-19 situation. Chula says “that the nine airlines that had submitted requests to temporarily halt their operations”. The airlines are… Thai Airways International, Thai Smile, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Thai AirAsia X, Thai Lion Air, Nok Air, Nok Scoot and Thai VietJet Air. “Most airlines want to cancel only some flights and some routes, so we have approved their requests accordingly. However, they must have plans to compensate customers who have already bought their tickets and they must notify the customers of flight cancellations in advance.” Thai Lion Air had earlier announced that they would suspend all domestic and international flights between March 25 and April 30. Thai Smile, Thai AirAsia and Bangkok Airways also announced that they would suspend all international flights from March 22 until … [Read more...] about 9 Thai airlines stop services during Covid-19 crisis

No surprise that one of the biggest industries to suffer from the border closures and travel restrictions was the airlines. Whilst there has been a gradual reboot of domestic travel within Thailand, there is still a ‘fear’ factor and reticence to travel. And the carriers are restricted to the domestic routes and have lost an entire sector of their businesses – the international flights. Things are not looking good, particularly for the Thai budget airlines. The Covid-19 pandemic crippled the industry and some say they’re barely surviving. They say the Thai PM promised a lifeline of billions of baht in soft loans, but he hasn’t followed up. At the same time, tax reductions on jet fuel are ending, which will dramatically increase operating costs. Last month, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha agreed to allocate 24 billion baht in soft loans to 7 of Thailand’s domestic budget airlines, but there’s been no word on how or when the money would be allocated. Thai AirAsia, Thai Smile (the domestic … [Read more...] about Budget airlines ask for lifeline, no answers from PM

With Covid-19 travel restrictions – slowly – easing up, 10 international airlines have started selling flights to Thailand, the Ministry of Transport announced. The airlines include: Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Swissair, Austrian Airlines, Eva Air and KLM. Don’t get too excited. It’s still not easy to get into Thailand. All international arrivals must go through a mandatory 14 day quarantine with Covid-19 testing as well as other requirements set by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Thailand recently introduced the Special Tourist Visa which allows a 90 day stay that can be renewed twice, adding up to about 9 months. Tourists will still need to go through a 14 day quarantine period, either at a state facility or at an alternative state quarantine (ASQ) accommodation. The first group of 41 people on the visa, travelling from China, are set to arrive in Bangkok today. They will be the first international … [Read more...] about 10 international airlines now offer flights to Thailand

PHOTO: Planespotters.net More Chinese airlines heading to Thailand. This time they’re adding services to the eastern seaboard. Two Chinese airlines are headed to U-tapao airport, 36 km south of Pattaya. Donghai Airlines is flying from Wanzhou to U-tapao, while Kunming Airlines is launching a service from Kunming this July. Donghai Airlines is already flying three times a week to U-tapao (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) using Boeing 737-800 series aircraft. Wanzhou city is on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in China with a population of a round 1,75 million residents. Wanchou district borders Sichuan to the northwest and Hubei to the southeast. Owned by Sichuan Airlines, Donghai Airlines is also expanding with a flight to Darwin, Australia as well as U-tapao in Rayong, Thailand. The airline is aiming to expand its fleet to 120 aircraft by 2025, including Boeing 787 Dreamliners, additional Boeing 737-800s and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Meanwhile, Kunming Airlines is … [Read more...] about Two more Chinese airlines flying into Pattaya