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Nok Air: A Decade In Service
25th Jul 2014
July 23 was a very special day for Nok Air as it marked an important milestone in its history'its 10th anniversary.
The ten years of operations were capped off with 16 domestic routes since it commenced operations in 2004. It has been operating its hub in Don Mueang International Airport since 2012. It previously operated its base of operations in the newer and bigger Suvarnabhumi Airport, but congestion there didn't allow more expansion.
The low-cost airline has flown over 5.9 million passengers in 2013, based on its annual report for the year. It managed to maintain a load factor of 84% on average per flight.
Today, the budget carrier has a domestic route network of 26 destinations, 16 of which have at least twice-daily service per route.
The latest addition to its network is Khon Kaen which was launched last July 1. The Bangkok-Khon Kaen route is a twice-daily service. It has a service monopoly in three of its network, namely, Mae Sot, Nan, Sakon Nakhon. But it would soon be challenged by Thai AirAsia starting October 1 in its Sakon Nakhon route from Bangkok.
Most domestic competition usually involves the big three'Bangkok Airways, Thai Airways, and Thai AirAsia.
According to the latest data available, Thai AirAsia had a 28% share in the country's domestic market, making it the largest airline in Thailand. It is closely followed by Nok Air (a subsidiary of Thai Airways) with its 25.4% share. Its mother unit, the full-service Thai Airways, was able to capture a decent 22% of the total market. Bangkok Airways, meanwhile, managed to scoop 17.8% of the market.
The airline currently operates a single international route, Bangkok-Yangon. It also operates a seasonal service to regional destinations from Mae Sot to Yangon and Mawlamyine in Myanmar. These two regional routes are served by Nok Air Mini using a Saab 340 aircraft.
Nok Air operates a fleet of 14 jetliners, B777-800s, and a couple of ATR 72-500. Towards the end of this year, it will take delivery of Bombardier Q400 which will be deployed primarily in its domestic network.
The Q400 is also planned to be utilized for its regional or international destinations where airport facilities don't support big jetliners.
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