A welcome new satellite at Suvarnabhumi airport, the effective disappearance of Thai Smile, reintegrated into Thai Airways International and, finally, the launch of new airlines. Thailand's air transport industry is moving fast again. The end of 2023 and 2024 should therefore bring their share of initiatives and openings.
Starting with the disappearance of Thai Smile. Created in 2011, this subsidiary of Thai Airways International, with its own flight authorisation certificate, has until now operated Thai Airways International's domestic and regional flights. The Thai national carrier had transferred its fleet of Airbus A320s and its traffic rights to Indochina, as well as to Penang in Malaysia, Kathmandu, Colombo and secondary cities in China and India. Prior to Covid, Thai Smile operated a network of 50 destinations, including 15 in Thailand. The network has since been almost halved, Thai Smile operating flights to 27 destinations this August.
Thai Smile steps aside
In fact, Thai Smile's demise has already been decided for the end of the year, with the transfer of routes and aircraft to Thai Airways International already underway. The latest destinations to be handed back to Thai Airways are Calcutta, Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Rangoon. Thai Airways International will take over the entire network operated by Thai Smile by December. Thai Smile's colossal losses (111.3 million euros in 2022) are the national airline's justification for this turnaround.
Thai Smile was created to stem the losses of Thai Airways International on its short-haul network. It was a failure, and one that also partly disrupted the Bangkok hub. Many Thai Smile flights were no longer connecting with the long-haul network.
Thai Airways notes that The merger will enable schedules to be better coordinated. And offer greater flexibility in capacity management.. Above all, the aircraft could be used for up to 13 hours a day instead of the current 8 or 9 hours. For passengers, the benefits will come from better connection times and simpler transfers.
More comfort with the new satellite at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi
This is not the only improvement in sight at Thai Airways International. From September, the airline will become the main user of Satellite 1 at the airport of Suvarnabhumi. The project, delayed by 5 years - largely because of Covid - will offer more space to 15 million additional passengers. For a total capacity of 60 million for the Thai Airways and Star Alliance hub.
The satellite will be able to accommodate 28 contact devices and boasts a 216,000 m² surface area. It will be reserved for the exclusive use of Thai Airways International and the regional airline Bangkok Airways. The satellite will be linked to the existing terminal by an automatic underground shuttle. The journey time will be 3 minutes. Future expansions at the airport will result in a 3rd runway in 2024 and a new east wing in the main terminal in 2027. On this date, Suvarnabhumi would have a total capacity of 75 to 80 million passengers.
Four new companies in the pipeline
Equally interesting are the airline projects in the Kingdom. The appetite of wealthy Thai businessmen and companies in the airline sector seems to be reviving with the return of tourists and the region's economic recovery. The civil aviation authorities have announced plans to launch four new airlines. Their names are Really Cool Airlines, Landarch Airlines, P80 Air and Siam Seaplanes.
In addition, Thailand is finalising other aviation-related infrastructure projects. Such as the plan to link the three airports around Bangkok by high-speed train by 2030. (Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U Tapao-Pattaya). Alternatively expansion plans for Hua Hin and Phuket airportsThese include the expansion of Bangkok's Don Mueang airport and the construction of an international airport at Phang Nga to relieve congestion in the south. Let's face it: Thailand by air is on the move!
