The resumption of Thai Airways International flights out of Phuket to Hong Kong is another sign of the strengthening of competition on popular routes. On October 25th, Thai Airways will restart non stop flights, which were suspended last year after PAD supporters disrupted services in Bangkok last year.
With Thai AirAsia about to launch daily flights on the same route, competition for passengers is likely to be keen.
Thai Airways will offer three flights a week, on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, each with full service, whilst Thai AirAsia will run a daily flights from the resort island as part of its intention to make Phuket a second Thailand hub for its international operations. The Thai AirAsia flights commence on October 15th.
A Thai Airways spokesman said that although there will be some competition for passengers, the two airlines will be aiming at substantially different market segments, with Thai Airways seeking to provide a service for passengers looking for a full service schedule. The market for flights out of Phuket seems to be getting stronger and points to Phuket being an important staging point for all of Thailand’s airlines during the latter stages of the recovery of the economy and tourism.
Aside from the Phuket-Hong Kong route, Thai AirAsia will launch non-stop Phuket-Jakarta flights on Nov 15th, followed by services to Chiang Mai, Medan and Ho Chi Minh City in December 2009. Plans to provide non-stop flights from Phuket to several Asian cities, such as Bali, Surabaya, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Manila, are on Thai AirAsia's horizon over the next 18 months.
