Published on October 07, 2005

The Pacific Asia Travel Association has welcomed the news that many international airlines will resume or increase direct services to Phuket by December.

PATA president and CEO Peter de Jong recently urged regional airlines to ensure sufficient air capacity and attractively priced airfares to encourage consumers to return to tsunami-affected destinations and bring business to suffering SMEs.

Asiana Airlines will start twice-weekly charter flights from Seoul on October 26. Austrian Airlines will launch a weekly service from Vienna on November 4, and plans to fly twice weekly during the peak season in December.

Jetstar Asia will operate a Singapore service four times a week from October 25, with a special introductory one-way fare of 22 Singapore dollars (Bt535), excluding taxes.

Korean Air resumed direct services on Sunday, while on the same day Orient-Thai began operating twice-weekly chartered flights from Seoul and Busan. Thai Airways International resumed its twice-weekly Seoul service the same day. Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium and low-cost carrier Condor Flugdienst are planning Brussels flights from next month.

Post your comment to this story here