THAI expects more passengers after move

Thai Airways International hopes to gain 3,500-4,500 extra passengers per day after moving domestic operations back to Suvarnabhumi Airport while major carriers see positive prospects for Thailand to become a regional aviation hub.

According to the national carrier, 6.9 million domestic passengers were carried by all airlines at Suvarna-bhumi last year. THAI operated 45 flights per day with 2.9 million passengers or 42.6 per cent of the total.

The airline expects passengers switching from Don Mueang Airport to Suvarnabhumi would reach 105,000-135,000 per month or 3,500-4,500 per day.

THAI's 81.5-per-cent load factor was higher than the break-even point projected at 78.9 per cent.

However, THAI reportedly flew fewer domestic passengers at Suvarnabhumi than Thai AsiaAsia, which has snatched the biggest share.

At Suvarnabhumi alone, THAI earned Bt248 million on Bt8.6 billion in revenue last year.

The firm operated 45 flights a day at Don Mueang and carried 2.7 million or 54.5 per cent of the total of 5 million domestic passengers.

Since its 79.2-per-cent load factor at Don Mueang missed the break-even point of 79.6 per cent, it lost Bt29.6 million.

To encourage domestic passengers to patronise Suvarnabhumi, THAI will deploy kiosks and launch a new online service.

Home-printed boarding passes were introduced in February, and THAI plans to make them available for international flights in May.

A dozen stations have already been added to THAI's domestic check-in counter at Suvarnabhumi.

Chan Seck Fun, area managing director of Qatar Airways, said the airline wants to see a single airport policy in Thailand because it would help the country become a regional aviation hub.

However, the government must construct more facilities at Suvarnabhumi, such as a third runway and bullet-train system.

"If Thailand had an airport with good infrastructure, the country can be a regional aviation hub," he said.

If the government insists on keeping Don Mueang open, a very good mass-transit system between the two airports is needed for transit passengers, he said.

Yongyut Lujintanon, Cathay Pacific's sales and marketing manager for Thailand and Burma, also agreed with a one-airport policy for Bangkok.

If the government wants Bangkok to be a centre of aviation, it should consider interline connectivity, which is a key factor for international airlines in deciding whether to expand or revise their network or strategic plans, he said.

The Board of Airline Represent-atives has been urging the government to stick with a single airport, he said. The group said a single airport would persuade more airlines to put more frequencies into Thailand.

Tasapon Bijleveld, CEO of the country's largest budget airline, Thai AirAsia, said overseas travellers preferred to use one airport as it was easier to catch a connecting flight to destinations within Thailand and abroad.