Thai carrier Bangkok Airways has received the first of at least three Airbus A320s, but plans to continue to expand its fleet of Boeing 717s.
The carrier selected the A320 over the 737 late last year and leased two aircraft from Debis AirFinance. Bangkok Airways says it has just signed a contract with Debis for a third A320 for delivery in August 2005 and is looking to lease a fourth for delivery by the end of 2005.
The carrier says it is also looking to lease a fifth 717-200 from next year. The 717s and its fleet of nine ATR 72s will continue to be used to operate into Koh Samui - where it owns an airport that is too small to accommodate A320s - and other domestic markets. The A320s will be used to launch new longer-range international services to China and the Maldives. The first A320 was scheduled to arrive in Bangkok on 14 September. The second aircraft will be delivered in November.
Meanwhile, Orient Thai Airlines says it is looking to add, by year-end, three Boeing 747-200/300s for international services and two 757-200s for its new domestic low-fare subsidiary One-Two-Go. Orient Thai now operates four 757-200s, two of which it added in late July, and eight 747-200/300s. The carrier plans to resume services to Singapore early next month and launch flights to Kuala Lumpur and Macau.
Thai Airways International low-cost affiliate Nok Air says it will add a third 737-400 in mid-October. Nok, which wet-leases all its aircraft from Thai, also plans to wet-lease its fourth and fifth 737-400s in the first quarter of next year.
The additional aircraft will allow Nok, which launched in late July, to double its domestic network from the current four destinations to eight.
LEITHEN FRANCIS & BRENDAN SOBIE / SINGAPORE
Source: Flight International
