Jet Asia to Launch More Flights

Thursday, 29th November 2012 at 01:34am

Jet Asia Airways is in full gear to double its fleet size as it plans to mount scheduled services after more than a year since it started serving international charter flights.

It will launch next month its maiden flights to as many as eight major destinations in China from its Phuket and Bangkok hubs. Jet Asia Airways was founded in 2009 and is a privately-owned airline.

Part of its expansion plans is to introduce two charter services between Bangkok and Incheon in South Korea and between Phuket and Busan, also in South Korea. It is also planning to relaunch its daily scheduled service from Bangkok to Tokyo (Narita).

The airline is adding a fourth aircraft, a Boeing 767-200, this month, bringing its total fleet to 4, all of the same type. Though it is also planning to have another 4 aircraft, still of the same type, to be delivered between the latter half of next year and 2014.

Jet Asia Airways is anticipating the influx of tourists from fast-growing markets in the East Asian region such as China, Japan and South Korea.

The airline launched its first commercial charter flight from Bangkok to Penang in Malaysia in September 2011. The fledgling carrier is owned by local investors, including a hotelier from Chiang Mai and a band of retired Royal Air Force officers.

In February 2012, it launched its first long-haul flight between Bangkok and Tokyo under an exclusive deal with a Tokyo-based travel agency and tour operator, H.I.S. Co. The deal expired in September this year.

Five of the routes to be launched next month will originate from its Phuket hub while three will originate from Bangkok.

Currently, the carrier is already serving six Chinese cities including Chongqing, Nanjing, Nanning and Xian from the resort island of Phuket.

Thanabool Kerdskul, the airline's managing director, remarked that their planes don't have problems filling their seats because Phuket is popular to Chinese tourists.

The average flight frequency of the planned scheduled flights to Chinese cities is three times a week. Its exclusive ticket distributor is China International Travel Service.

The carrier aims to have 5 to 7 charter flights a week between Bangkok and Incheon and two flights weekly between Phuket and Busan. There's a possibility also that these sectors could be upgraded to permanent scheduled services.

Under the air agreement between Thailand and South Korea, only four Thai airlines, including Jet Asia, are allowed to serve the South Korean market.

Jet Asia favors a single-class economy configuration for all its planes with at least 235 seats apiece. Currently, all its planes are on a wet lease. The official assured the public that the airline is financially-sound to embark on an expansion plan.

By: Pete Lee.