The Departure hall stands ready for the reopening of Don Muang Airport on March 25.

The airline will spend Bt10 million for the check-in counter, Chalit Bhubhasuk added.

"It will be a pilot project. The company is looking at additional stations, including an airport rail link when [the rail] is competed in the next few years, in order to give travellers faster service," Chalit said.

In-town check-in counters are popular in many countries, and passengers have been demanding them here, he said.

Passengers flying out of Don Muang will be able to pick up boarding passes and drop off their luggage at Lat Phrao, he added.

Chalit also said the carrier's board yesterday approved a Bt550-million plan to expand the capacity of its aircraft-maintenance centres.

The expansion will see an additional 200 technicians hired for its three maintenance centres, at Don Muang, Suvarnabhumi Airport and the military airport U-Tapao.

The board also approved setting up another computer system that will cost Bt800 million, Chalit said.

The airline is considering selling three old aircraft this year and may withdraw from some international routes, particularly long-haul ones, he added.

Last month, its average load factor was 79.9 per cent, compared with 78.4 per cent in the same month last year, and it earned Bt1 billion, up 20 per cent year on year.

Suchat Sritama

The Nation