Aspiring Thai regional start-up Air Andaman has revised its fleet acquisition plan, but still hopes to lease two 19-seat turboprops in time to launch operations in late October.
Vice-president Pratheep Boonprasom says Air Andaman has dropped plans to dry-lease two Jetstream 32EPs from BAE Systems' Australian division and is in talks with Aeromail in Brisbane, Australia, with a view to dry-leasing two Fairchild Metro IIIs or Metro 23s.
He says the airline is negotiating with a US broker on the dry-lease of a 30-seat Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia. It plans to start operating on 28 October, flying from its Phuket base to Krabi, Nakhorn Si Thammarat, Ranong, Chumphon and the Myanmar capital Yangon.
Air Andaman, owned by private investors, is targeting tourists visiting Phuket who want a shuttle service to less crowded Thai resorts.
Source: Flight International
