Ahead the upcoming summer travel season, Thai AirAsia (FD) announced it will be reducing its overall seat capacity by an average of 30% during the months of May and June.
Ahead the upcoming summer travel season, Thai AirAsia (FD) announced it will be reducing its overall seat capacity by an average of 30% during the months of May and June.
Citing the rise of global aviation fuel prices and the seasonal softening of mid-year travel demand, the Thailand-based AirAsia subsidiary is scaling back the airline’s flight schedules at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The domestic operations at Suvarnabhumi to Chiang Mai and Phuket will continue during the period of May-June. While operating flights across its full domestic network, flight frequencies will be strategically aligned to match actual passenger demand.
In a statement, Thai AirAsia’s Chief Executive Officer Phairat Pornpathananangoon said: "Aviation fuel constitutes our primary operating expense, and with jet fuel prices having surged more than threefold recently, we must rigorously optimize our operational plans by reducing flight frequencies and temporarily suspending several unviable routes.”
Within Thailand, Thai AirAsia will suspend services on the Suvarnabhumi-Narathiwat route. Other domestic routes from Suvarnabumi that will see service adjustments include the following: Buri Ram, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen, Hat Yai, Krabi, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Udon Thani.
Meanwhile all domestic flights to the listed destinations operating from Don Mueang International Airport remain unaffected.
The domestic network adjustments are listed below:
From Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK):
Buri Ram (BFV): May 1-June 30
Chiang Rai (CEI): May 1-June 30
Khon Kaen (KKC): May 1-June 30
Hat Yai (HDY): May 1-June 30
Krabi (KBV): May 1-June 30
Surat Thani (URT): May 1-June 30
Nakhon Si Thammarat (NST): May 1-June 30
Udon Thank (UTH): April 28-June 30
Narathiwat (NAW): Suspended from April 21
For the international network, most of the flight schedule adjustments will affect the Indian market. According to the airline, elevated operating costs currently challenge its ability to offer the affordable fares its customers expect. Impacted routes to/from India include flights from Don Mueang Airport to Guwahti, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Lucknow. Two routes to India from Phuket – Chennai and Kochi - will be suspended from April 13 and April 17, respectively.
Other destinations that will be impacted by Thai AirAsia’s flight schedule adjustments include Kathmandu, Denpasar (Bali), Hong Kong, and Singapore. Services on the Don Mueang-Xi’an and Hong Kong-Okinawa will be suspended from May 11 and May 7, respectively.
The international network adjustments are as follows:
From Bangkok Don Mueang (DMK):
Guwahti (GAU): April 29-October 24
Kathmandu (KTM): May 1-July 31
Denpasar (Bali- DPS): May 1-June 30
Hong Kong (HKG): May 12-June 30
Singapore (SIN): May 12-June 30
Jaipur (JAI): May 12-October 24
Ahmedabad (AMD): May 28-October 24
Hyderabad (HYD): June 1-October 24
Lucknow (LKO): June 3-October 24
Xi’an (XIY): Suspended from May 11
From Phuket (HKT):
Chennai (MAA): Suspended from April 13
Kochi (COK): Suspended from April 17
Fifth Freedom
Hong Kong (HKG)-Okinawa (OKA): Suspended from May 7
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