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TAAX Wants to Add More A330-300 Routes in 2018
28th Aug 2017
Long-haul, low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia X (TAAX) is planning to add three to four new routes to Eastern Europe in 2018, as well as increase its current services to Japan and South Korea, as soon as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) removes the red flag from Thailand.
Mr. Tassapon Bijleveld, TAAX director and founder, didn’t specify which routes the airline might go for in Eastern Europe, but mentioned some countries, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland to be specific, as potential destinations. He said the Eastern European market is not too competitive and has high potential.
Mr. Tassapon said:
We are not looking at major European cities like London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Paris, which are highly competitive with little chance of making money. Realistically, embarking on Eastern European flights would take six months.
There’s also no schedule when these services should begin, but that’s expected to be in the second half of the following year.
When it comes to its existing services in Narita and Osaka, Japan and Incheon in South Korea, Thai AirAsia X also intends to increase frequencies there, as well as recommence regular service to Sapporo, which it suspended in 2015.
Of course, for this plan to come to life, ICAO would first have to remove the red flag it placed on the country’s aviation safety and allow Thailand-registered carriers to launch new routes to foreign countries (at least those that adhere to ICAO rules) and change the aircraft types on existing routes.
That should happen as soon as October this year, maybe even sooner. More will be known in a few days when ICAO conducts and audit on the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) on 3rd September. CAAT has spent the last two years addressing the “significant safety concerns” regarding Thailand’s civil aviation.
Mr. Tassapon said:
We are readying our growth plan once the red flag issue is over.
TAAX had the same plans two years ago, but had to scrap them due to ICAO red flag.
The carrier will serve the new routes from its base at Don Muang International Airport in Bangkok.
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