Wet-lease specialist Avia Solutions Group is intending to establish a division of its SmartLynx carrier in Thailand next year, which will emerge from its previous BBN Airlines project in the country.
The new operator, Thai SmartLynx, will start services with an Airbus A320 fleet in early 2025.
It has evolved from a previous aim, disclosed last year, to expand its BBN Airlines brand which Avia Solutions Group set up in Indonesia.
Avia Solutions states that Thai SmartLynx, which is being set up with local partners, is “in the final stages” of securing approval for an air operator’s certificate.
It adds that the carrier is being created to meet seasonal capacity demand in Thailand, given the post-pandemic rebound in tourism.
While the number of tourists has returned to pre-crisis levels, Avia Solutions says there are only 130 single-aisle aircraft used by providers in Thailand.
“There will be a need for additional short-haul capacity to meet different seasonal demand cycles,” it adds. “This demand [in Thailand] is counter-seasonal to European demand.”
Avia Solutions Group chair Gediminas Ziemelis says there are two distinct peaks in Thai domestic travel – in January-March and June-August – and Thai SmartLynx intends to assist local carriers by offering wet-leased aircraft.
Apirak Homlaor, who previously worked in the Thai Parliament, is the chief executive of the new carrier, the headquarters for which is located in Bangkok.
