This brings the daily total on the former route to three, with two flights on the latter.

MAS country manager for Thailand, Barbara Dirnberger, said that as part of its new schedule promotion, the national carrier would offer a return ticket for Bt3,333 (excluding insurance, taxes and fuel surcharge) for the Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok route and Bt2,222 for the Phuket sector for a limited period.

She said the extra Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur flight would be an ideal connection to London, Frankfurt, Paris, Zurich, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo.

"It will also be a good choice for businessmen who want to complete a full day's work in Bangkok before heading back to Kuala Lumpur for other engagements the next day," she said.

Despite being one of the most competitive sectors, both of MAS's Thai routes have a load factor of 75 to 80 per cent, Bernama reported.

Khmer Exim

The Export-Import Bank of Thailand is supporting the establishment of a specialised financial institution in Cambodia to develop that country's small and medium-sized exporters and enhance their competitiveness in the international arena.

Narongchai Akrasanee, chairman of Exim Thailand, recently welcomed a National Bank of Cambodia delegation led by Neav Chanthana, deputy governor, on their visit to discuss the role of Exim Thailand in supporting and promoting Thai exporters and investors overseas.

The visit was part of a feasibility study trip in preparation for the establishment of Exim Cambodia.

Narongchai said that once it was up and running, Exim Cambodia would provide local SME entrepreneurs with better access to financial support and advisory services to enhance their business management capabilities and, as a result, their competitiveness in the global market.

This will eventually contribute to the overall economic development of Cambodia and the Greater Mekong Sub-region, he said.