New Thai airline ready to take-off
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Thailand’s newest passenger airline, Crystal Thai Airlines, has received its air operator’s certificate (AOC) and will launch operations by the end of this month. The carrier, which is a Thai-Korean joint venture, will launch with a fleet of one Airbus A320, which was delivered in a lease agreement in October 2010. The airline said that it plans to receive a second aircraft in April this year.
Crystal Thai is positioning itself as an airline offering “low fares with premium services”, using fast turnaround times (25 minutes, as stated on the company’s website) to boost each aircraft’s productivity. The A320s will be configured in a single, economy class, cabin layout, with capacity for 174 passengers. Passengers will be provided with hot meals and drinks, although they will not have access to in-flight entertainment systems.
Based at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, Crystal Thai Airlines plans to launch services on 30 January, with its inaugural service connecting the Thai capital with Seoul’s Incheon International Airport. Future destinations are likely to include the Thai resort island of Phuket, the Indian hubs of Mumbai and Kochi, Clark in the Philippines, Muan and Busan in South Korea, and two capital cities in the Sub-Continent - Colombo in Sri Lanka, and Thimpu in Bhutan. Flights to Dubai are also on the company’s radar.
While it may take a while to expand its fleet and roll-out its intended network of destinations, Crystal Thai Airlines has the potential to compete in the market with carriers such as Bangkok Airways, Thai Airways and Thai AirAsia.
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