BANGKOK, 6 March 2028: Fast on the heels of announcing a net profit of THB 846.4 million for 2017, Bangkok Airways (PG) says it will continue to increase services from three hubs Bangkok, Samui and Chiang Mai.
In an outline of its 2018 plans, the airline says it will expand flights from Chiang Mai to Hanoi, 25 March, and in the fourth quarter of the year add a new Phuket-Yangon flight.
The Samui hub will be served by more charters from China, while flights from Bangkok will increase to neighbouring countries; Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
Services from Bangkok to Phuket will increase to 66 flights weekly. Reliable airline sources say it is likely that one of the services will fly to Yangon four times weekly from the southern tourist island, effective this October.
So far, service has not been slotted into its website timetable or bookable for the winter season. However, the airline’s tour operator partners in Europe are likely to get a heads-up on a provisional flight schedule this week.
The airline’s management is attending ITB Berlin, 7 to 11 March in Berlin, where they will outline campaigns to raise the airline’s image in Europe through a sponsorship deal with a top European football club.
It will also roll out marketing activities in Europe under the banner of “Five Unseen Paradises” through its airline partners during what is billed as the world largest travel show.
The objective will be to push group tours through codeshare flight partners from Europe’s main markets to Chiang Rai, Lampang and Sukhothai in Thailand and Danang in Vietnam, secondary cities served by the airline that need more traffic support, year-round.
The airline has 24 codeshare agreements with overseas airlines that channel traffic to regional and domestic services beyond gateway cities Bangkok and Phuket.
Another four to six airlines will sign codeshare deals this year.
Commenting on regional markets, the airline’s vice president sales, Varong Israsena Na Audhya, said travel demand should spike between Thailand and its neighbours, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Currently, the airline offers 40 services weekly to the three neighbours from its hubs in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
Flights to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, will increase to 14 weekly and from Bangkok to Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar, the airline will offer 11 flights weekly.
A Go Samui campaign will launch in the four Mekong region countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) to promote travel to the Gulf of Thailand island. Similar “Go” campaigns with promotional fares will also be launched in the four countries to Trat, Sukhothai, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.
To tap the huge potential of China’s outbound market, the airline will introduce more charters. From its Samui, hub the airline will add charter services to Xi An and Changsha in China in addition to scheduled services to Hong Kong, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Chongqing from the holiday island.
In 2017 the airline carried 5.9 million passengers, up 5% on 2016 and forecasts passengers will increase by 7% and revenue by 10% in 2018.
Total revenue for the company in 2017 reached 28.493.3 million an increase of 6.5% with net profit reaching 846.4 million. Profit attributed to the equity holders totalled 787.9 million. Earnings per share were THB 0.38.
