Competition in Thailand’s aviation sector is set to increase with four new carriers working to launch operations.
Thailand Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director of flight standards bureau, Sumpun Pongthai, says the department has issued an air operator’s certificate (AOC) to Jet Asia Airways.
He says the department has inspected the airline’s aircraft, which is an ex-Sky Star Airlines Boeing 767-200 that is parked in South Korea. Sky Star is a defunct Thai carrier that was partly owned by a South Korean travel agency group, and operated flights from Thailand to South Korea.
Jet Asia’s website shows it plans to operate from Thailand to South Korea, one of Thailand’s largest sources of foreign tourists.
Sumpun also says the AOC for Crystal Thai Airlines will be finalized “maybe this week or next week.” Crystal is 49% foreign-owned and plans to use an Airbus A320 leased from a European company, he says.
Destinations listed on Crystal’s website are: Bangkok, Phuket, Clark (Philippines), Cochin (India), Mumbai, Dubai and Seoul Incheon.
The other two carriers are further back in the application process. Sumpun says Legacy Air and Nakhon Chiang Mai Air have received business licenses, signed off by the transport minister, but have yet to receive an AOC.
Legacy Air plans to operate Saab 340s and Nakhon Chiang Mai Air plans to operate ATR aircraft, say industry executives. Both will ply small regional routes in Thailand and are likely to be competing against Saab 340-operators SGA/Nok Mini and Happy Air as well Solar Air, which operates two Dornier 228s and an Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante.
“The policy of the new director general of civil aviation [Somchai Chanrod] is to try and promote small airports,” says Sumpun. Airports of Thailand (AoT) manages Thailand’s largest airports, but the DCA manages the country’s 28 small airports.
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