More Flights for Bangkok Airways

Koh Samui has become such a popular destination that additional flights are now available

Bangkok Airways, a regional airline in Thailand, which has the Koh Samui Island among its premier destinations, is planning to add more local flights in two of its routes. The airline said it is launching two daily flights from Bangkok to Krabi this April and four flights weekly from Bangkok to Mandalay in September. These two routes were being expanded due to rising demand, the airline disclosed, adding that other airlines like Thai AirAsia have already moved in on the opportunity.

Nevertheless, it emphasized that boosting its KohSamui travel services remains prominent in Bangkok Airways’ radar screen. Regulatory restrictions currently prevent the airline from operating more flights out of the island’s airport, which the airlines also owns and operates. It is seeking clearance from environmental authorities for an increase to fifty in the number of flights allowed through Koh Samui from the present thirty-eight. 

Making the flight times in the airport more frequent by one hour is expected to accomplish this. The present 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. flight schedules in the island, in effect, would be changed to 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., thus accommodating more flights and tourist arrivals drawn by Koh Samui attractions.  

Out of the thirty-eight flights now allowed at the Koh Samui airport, thirty-one are accounted for by Bangkok Airways; the remaining seven are shared by Malaysia’s Firefly, Singapore’s SilkAir, and Thai Airways. Obtaining government permission for the added flights is pivotal to Bangkok Airways’ aim to launch more international routes to Koh Samui. 

The airline is eying possible links with the cities of Taipei and Shanghai. The island’s airport is already serving flights from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur.

A Bangkok airways executive said that the airline wants to diversify its market. The airline, which marks its 45^th year this 2013, draws a significant portion of its revenue from its Koh Samui airport and flights operation. The airline executive noted that the rising number of hotel rooms at the resort island, estimated at 10,000 at present, indicate an incoming fast growth in demand for airline seats.

Additional flight frequencies on existing routes that Bangkok Airways likewise plans includes increasing to five flights a week it’s Bangkok–Male and Bangkok–Luang Prabang services from the current four and two, respectively. Daily flights on the Koh Samui–Phuket and Bangkok–Chiang Mai routes may also be increased to six, while the daily Koh Samui–Chiang Mai flights may be bumped up to seven.