Thai AirAsia intends to open more routes connecting Phuket directly with other Asian cities as it moves aggressively to develop its second hub on the southern resort island.
The no-frills carrier wants to link Phuket with Bali, Surabaya, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Manila through non-stop services as new city-pairs after the first links due to open in mid-November.
Chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld said the airline was upbeat about the growth opportunities Phuket could provide in addition to its main hub at Bangkok%26#39;s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Thai AirAsia is preparing to begin daily services on the Phuket-Hong Kong and Phuket-Jakarta routes on Nov 15, followed by flights from Phuket to Chiang Mai, Medan in Indonesia and Ho Chi Minh City in December.
Pending positive results, Mr Tassapon said the second set of direct air links with Asian cities could open in 18 months
';We need three or four months to prove that our decision to make Phuket our second hub is right commercially before we make further stride,'; he said.
';We could easily fly in 2,000 tourists a day from those foreign cities to Phuket, ramping up from 600 people a day initially we expect from the first batch of cities.';
That means Thai AirAsia would need to base four A320 jetliners at Phuket to accommodate the direct connections, up from the two that it will station there in the next one or two months.
The sister carrier of Malaysia-based AirAsia, Asia%26#39;s largest budget carrier, is also looking at other airports in Thailand including Chiang Mai, Udon Thani and U-tapao as potential hubs for new flight markets.
Chiang Mai is the most likely candidate for a third hub but Mr Tassapon stressed that the bulk of Thai AirAsia%26#39;s services would continue through Suvarnabhumi.
';The problem is that we cannot open as many new routes through Suvarnabhumi as we wanted to as the network through Bangkok has thickened already,'; he explained, adding that the airline%26#39;s fleet had also been growing and needed new routes to match it.
The airline now operates a fleet of ten Airbus A320s and six Boeing B737- 300s. Over the next two months it will take delivery of two new A320s. Next year it will receive eight more A320s and retire its six B737-300s, giving it a fleet of 20 aircraft, all A320s.
Mr Tassapon believes that its initial flights through Phuket will be 80% full, due largely to the high-season factor and heavy promotions.
';Phuket is a probably the second most well-known Thai city internationally, so that helps a lot to sell our flights,'; he said.
The airline has already sold more than 20,000 Phuket-Hong Kong tickets since they went on sale on Oct 5.
AirAsia...many NEW direct Phuket flights coming
Argh - was so hoping they%26#39;d be direct to Perth!!!
AirAsia...many NEW direct Phuket flights coming
Hi...!!....Just a thought but I registered with Airasia on September 1st and have not received any specials or anything from Airasia since registering...??....
Has Airasia not had any specials since September....??....
Anyway,I am not intending to travel till next year,but it would be nice to know if anybody has received any deals....??....
I%26#39;ve been registered with AirAsia Email alerts for a while and have certainly received at least one since September. Just testing (and tempting!) we could book return flights (2 x single though it%26#39;s cheaper!) for March from Kuala Lumpur to Gold Coast for £58 (plus £38 for Phuket to KL!!!!) incl. taxes but excluding add-ons for bahggage etc. Food for thought for next year (2011)
I have registered and never received any alerts. Best to look in the newspaper, the sales are always pre-listed there.
Phuket-Bali double ! Oh Rex, you%26#39;ve done it again.
I have been registered with Air Asia for about 18 months and get a ';specials email'; from them approx every 4-6 weeks.
I have done test runs on their specials and sometimes actually get a ';reservation'; for both out and return (from Gold Coast) but usually it only gives the cheap fare on one leg. But I do know people who have been lucky - my daughters inlaw flew GC-KL_HKT return in Jly-Aug for under $500 all up!! but they weren%26#39;t tied to dates (holidays from work).
We are flying SIA leaving Saturday - but cos we got cheap fares couldn%26#39;t change any flights so have booked HKT to Singapore on AA. Will see what is like. We are first timers, looking forward to Saturday :)
Yea the tickets are quite cheap from AirAsia, i booked my flight for March 2010 to phuket and it cost me only SGD $166 for 2 pax, not including checked in baggages and insurance though.
Does anyone know when and if Air asia will fly out of Sydney?
That%26#39;s what i would like to know too Kitty....
It%26#39;s a real hassle when we have to fly or drive from Sydney to Gold Coast or Melbourne and then fly out to Phuket...!!??...Not to mention the return journey...!!??....
You rooly start to wonder if AirAsia%26#39;s deals are worthwhile if we have to do this..??...
direct flights from Phuket - CM is fantastic.. gives me an extra half a day to enjoy thailand.. rather than do the airport shuffle... :)
Sydney needs a low cost terminal if AirAsia is ever going to fly out of there. Maybe if Badgery%26#39;s Creek had ever come to fruition, oh well.
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