Thai VietJet Launches Bangkok-Phuket and Phuket-Chiang Rai Flights

16th Sep 2016

Thai VietJet Air (TVJA) has become the latest Thailand-registered low-cost carrier (LCC) to launch domestic flights. The subsidiary of no-frills Vietnamese airline VietJet, TVJA has announced that it will fly between Bangkok and Phuket as well as between Phuket and Chiang Rai.

Thai VietJet will use single-aisle Airbus A320 on both routes. It has recently received its third Airbus from VietJet. In a statement regarding the arrival of the third A320, VietJet Air Vice President Nguyen Thi Thuy Binh, said that this reflects VietJet’s commitment to developing the Tourism industry in Thailand.

Flights between Bangkok and Phuket will be operated daily, while the Phuket-Chiang Rai will be a thrice-weekly, advised the LCC. The third domestic route, from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, is also scheduled and it should start on 26^th September, this year, while the first international route for TVJA will begin on 9^th November and will include four flights per week.

Other Thai Carriers Not Paying Much Attention to TVJA at the Moment

According to the executives from TVJA, their entry into the domestic Thai market has not been met with any particular action from the other carriers, such as Thai AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air. This is mainly due to the fact that the newcomer is flying out of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, while most other airlines fly from the other airport in the capital city, Don Muang.

Another thing that helped Thai VietJet Air slip under the radar of its competition is that it is still relatively small compared to the other low-cost carriers.

At the moment, load factor levels in TVJA’s initial Bangkok-Phuket and Phuket-Chiang Rai flights were not clear, but according to one official from the low budget carrier, Thai VietJet was looking at around 70 per cent and was rising to 80 per cent since the routes were launched.

TVJA parent airline VietJet Air has 40 aircraft in its fleet and operates daily flights in a total of 53 routes in Vietnam, as well as across Thailand, South Korea, China, Singapore, Taiwan and Myanmar.