!
Latest updates
kiwi Guarantee Book now and get protection against cancelations that would wouldn't get if you booked direct
Chiang Mai's Food Odyssey: Street Eats to Gourmet Feasts
Bangkok Airways to Resurrect Vital Flight Routes to Northern Thailand
Thai Vietjet Air: Exclusive May Offers for FUN Rewards Members
Hua Hin Airport anticipates surge in international flights after expansion
No more flights to Mae Hong Son
Really Cool Airlines to launch in December (Really!)
6 Steps to Grabbing Cheap Flights - DomesticFlightsThailand
Getting Around Bangkok
Koh Lanta: A Hidden Treasure Near Krabi
Sea, Sand, and Surf in Thailand: Top 5 Spots
All news
More travel guides
Thai AirAsia X to Take Off by June
31st Mar 2014
Thai AirAsia X is set to launch its inaugural service on June this year with the launching of its first long-haul flight from Bangkok to Seoul, South Korea.
The direct service will commence with a single-daily frequency using the wide-body A330-300 jet. The low-cost long-haul carrier will operate from Don Mueang International Airport, which the Thai government designates as operations hub for low-cost carriers since 2012.
The airline is optimistic that the new direct Bangkok-Seoul service will encourage more tourists from South Korea to visit Thailand. Last year, more than 1.2 million South Koreans visited the country, making them the fifth largest group of foreign tourists in Thailand behind China, Malaysia, Russia and Japan.
In contrast, tourists from Thailand in South Korea numbered only 400,000 in the same year. Thais don't need a tourist visa to visit South Korea.
The long-haul budget carrier is also set to launch two more routes from Bangkok to two Japanese destinations shortly later. The proposed Bangkok-Tokyo and Bangkok-Osaka direct services will be simultaneously launched the following month. The Tokyo route will be a once-daily service while the Osaka route will initially be 5-times weekly affair.
The tickets offered by Thai AirAsia X will be 20% lower than what most full-service airlines offer for the same route. Tickets will be available for booking on Wednesday.
The airline is also optimistic that it will be able to attract an estimated 200,000 passengers during the first year of operations with Thais comprising about half the number or over 80% load factor to all routes. The carrier paints a rosy projection for its maiden operations expecting a revenue of THB1 billion.
AirAsia X is a long-haul brand of the low-cost giant AirAsia Bhd., the brainchild of the former media executive, Malaysian Tony Fernandes. Thai AirAsia X is the first overseas subsidiary of the brand.
Related News
Thai Vietjet Air: Exclusive May Offers for FUN Rewards Members
Hua Hin Airport anticipates surge in international flights after expansion
