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Don Mueang Attracts Budget Carriers
4th Aug 2014
Bangkok's older gateway, Don Mueang International Airport, is fast becoming what the Thai government has envisioned it to be - a major hub for budget carriers in the region.
In 2012, the Thai government designated the oldest airport in Asia to be the hub for low-cost carriers in a bid to decongest the main gateway, Suvarnabhumi International Airport, which has been operating over its capacity.
The role of Don Mueang International Airport as a hub for budget carrier is now in full swing with the scheduled entry of Golden Myanmar Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan on September 1 this year. This developed after Scoot of Singapore announced that it is moving its base to Don Mueang also on the same date.
Golden Myanmar Airlines, which is based in Mandalay, is slated to operate scheduled flights between Don Mueang and Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar. Tigerair Taiwan, meanwhile, is a Taiwanese subsidiary of Singapore-based Tigerair and is expected to operate a daily scheduled service between Bangkok and Taipei.
Scoot's shift to Don Mueang will usher in another Scoot's subsidiary, NokScoot, which is scheduled to be launched later this year. NokScoot is a joint venture between Scoot and Thailand's Nok Air. NokScoot is planning to serve the medium- and long-haul routes from Don Mueang.
Both Golden Myanmar Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan will be using narrow-body A320-200 aircraft for their inaugural operations.
Earlier, the THAI low-cost subsidiary, Thai Smile, has moved some of its operations to Don Mueang last August 8.
Thai AirAsia X, the Thai subsidiary of the long-haul brand of Asia's giant AirAsia Bhd., will intensify its operations in Don Mueang with the scheduled launch of its first long-haul service to Japan, to Osaka and Tokyo, on September 1. The airline launched its inaugural long-haul service on June 17 with its Bangkok-Seoul flight.
Five major low-cost airlines are already operating at Don Mueang International Airport, namely, Thai Lion Air, Orient Thai, Nok Air, Thai AirAsia, and Thai AirAsia X. Together, they operate flights representing 90% of the airport's total traffic.
Don Mueang's Terminal 2 is under renovation, which is targeted to be completed before the year ends, boosting its capacity to 30 million annually.
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