Thailand develops multiple international air hubs

Thailand is strengthening its status as a global air hub with the addition of new international flights connecting different parts of the country with the rest of the world.

The new flights operate to and from six of Thailand’s international airports – Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok Don Mueang, Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai – enabling more parts of the kingdom to tap the benefits of international travel, rather than having to rely on connecting traffic from the capital.

Scheduled flights recently launched or due to start soon include Thai Airways’ flights between Phuket and Beijing, Turkish Airlines’ new Phuket-Istanbul route, Qatar Airways’ additional services between Doha and Suvarnabhumi, Phuket and Krabi, Thai AirAsia’s new flights from Don Mueang to the Maldives, Jaipur and Tiruchirappalli routes, Jetstar Asia’s new Singapore-Hat Yai return flights, and Jetstar Pacific’s service linking Chiang Mai with Dong Hoi, Vietnam.

“Thailand has long been the key portal to Asia and global aviation hub. Steady passenger growth depends on more flights and finding new entry points to the country. These new flights provide visitors with more choice, flexibility and convenience when travelling or making connections to major cities around Thailand. We hope that the expanded air access boosts tourism arrivals,” said Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

To facilitate these and future air links, the TAT has signed a series of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), which will see the organisation work with several major international airlines to improve tourism marketing in key source markets and increase visitor arrivals to Thailand.

These include a deal with EVA Air to target North American markets; with Etihad Airways to jointly promote travel to Thailand from several countries in the Middle East and Europe; with Qatar Airways for travel from Europe, Africa and the Middle East; and with Singapore Airlines’ to target visitors from Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.