The Melbourne-based airline is confident of continuous growth in its service to the Kingdom despite the country's economic slow-down and political uncertainty.

Corporate-communications manager Simone Pregellio said the company was expanding its existing fleet and would upgrade to new Boeing 787-800 aircraft by the end of next year.

Jetstar's website says the airline now has a fleet of 23 Airbus A320-200s, but its international long-haul routes are flown by Airbus A330-200s.

The delivery of the new Boeing 787-800s is aimed at meeting high growth in demand, particularly from Australian travellers, Pregellio said.

The airline, which began low-cost domestic services in Australia three years ago, entered the international budget-travel market in 2005 with flights to Christchurch, New Zealand. It launched its first service to Thailand last November with regular services on a Melbourne-Bangkok route, followed soon afterwards with a service linking Sydney and Phuket.

Currently, Thai Airways International is the only other airline flying between Bangkok and Melbourne.

Jetstar has four other long-haul services - from Australia to Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Honolulu and Osaka - and it will begin flying between Australia and Malaysia in September.

"We see opportunities to create new markets," Pregellio said. "We have received very positive feedback from customers and believe our business will improve continuously. We have been reaping income since we began operating, so we don't have any problems with expansion."

"We will fly on any routes that other airlines have been unable to serve because of low popularity. We can do that because we are a

low-cost operator," she said, adding that parent company Qantas supported Jetstar wholeheartedly, because it realised its potential for growth.

Simon Westaway, the airline's general manager of corporate relations, said that after the new aircraft were delivered, Jetstar might launch a Bangkok-Brisbane service.

However, it has no plans to fly to Chiang Mai, because most of its customers preferred the seashore.

Pregellio said 80 per cent of the passengers on Jetstar's Thai service were Thai tourists and Australian travellers. However, the airline is planning to expand its target group to include Thai students.

The airline has been trying to encourage and promote increased travel through low fares and good service, and since demand continues to grow, it sees no reason to be concerned about Thailand's economic slow-down and unsteady politics, she said.

Jetstar is planning to launch low-cost flights to the US in 2010 or 2011.

Anoma Srisukkasem

The Nation

Melbourne, Australia