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Published on November 3, 2007

Thai AirAsia took delivery its a new Airbus aircraft on October 21 and the A320 made its first domestic flight a week later, carrying the airline's top executives, staff and local and international reporters from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

Commercial service began on Sunday and the aircraft will now be flying regularly between Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Phuket, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

The airline has 40 new A320s on order from France, each worth about US$60 million (Bt2 billion). It will take delivery of the second aircraft on November 10 and the third on December 15. The third A320 will be special, as it will be painted with the winning design from the Airbus Design Competition and a hand-written message from National Artist Naowarat Pongpaiboon, a renowned contemporary poet and also SEAwrite winner.

The 40 Airbus A320 will gradually replace the airline's current Boeing 737-300 aircraft. All 40 new aircraft are scheduled for delivery with five years, meaning by 2012, AirAsia will be the low-cost airline with the youngest fleet in Thailand.

On a single journey, the Airbus A320 can fly up to 5,700 km and uses fly by wire technology. The new aircraft has 180 seats, 30 more than the airline's current aircraft. It also has a wider single-aisle cabin and larger overhead bins. An oven has been installed to allow passengers greater choice in purchasing good and the crew can now serve hot dishes as well as sandwiches. The menu will be changed every two months. 

"The airline still keeps the same fares now. But if there are more passengers, prices could go down," said Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia.

"For example, the trip from Bangkok to Chiang Mai now costs between Bt900 and Bt1,000. If passenger loads increase between 160 and 170, the fare might be Bt750 to Bt850. If there are more than 170 passengers, fares could drop to Bt650.

The airline expects 4.2 million passengers to use the airline, an increase of 1.2 million.

"With standard of airbus, passengers can be more confident of safety and quality of service," said Tassapon.

Suwicha Chanitnun

The Nation