AirAsia solidifies U-tapao lead with two new links
AirAsia aims to continue passenger traffic growth at U-tapao airport with the launch of two additional air links yesterday.
The no-frills carrier has added services from the Navy-operated airport in Rayong to Phuket and Ubon Ratchathani, both on a daily basis, boosting its total connections to nine.
These additional routes will further strengthen the airline’s dominance over overall passenger throughput at the airport from just over 80% recorded last year.
AirAsia last year transported 580,000 passengers through U-tapao, which altogether handled 710,000 passengers during that period.
The airport is forecast to increase its passenger throughput this year to 1.2 million.
The rise will be fuelled by AirAsia’s growing footprint and two market entrants — Thai Lion Air and NewGen Airways — said Rear Admiral Worapol Tongpricha, U-tapao Airport Authority director.
With the two additional services launched yesterday, AirAsia will be able to move 982,080 passengers in and out of U-tapao this year, said the airline’s executives.
AirAsia made its debut at U-tapao in July 2015 with a non-stop service from Kuala Lumpur, helping to drive the airport’s total passenger traffic to 170,000 for the whole of 2015.
Apart from AirAsia, U-tapao has not attracted many airlines due to doubts over traffic demand.
There are only two other airlines which presently operate scheduled flights through U-tapao — Bangkok Airways with one flight a day each to Samui and Phuket, and Kan Air, which offers three connections a week to Chiang Mai.
A handful of charter airlines, including those from Russia and China, operate at the airport on a seasonal basis.
The seven other routes served by AirAsia from U-tapao are: Chiang Mai at two flights a day; Udon Thani (one a day); Hat Yai (one a day); Macau (one a day); Nanning (three flights a week); Nanchang (four a week); and Kuala Lumpur (four a week).