Thai charter operator Sky Eyes hopes to lease at least one Boeing 737-400 and acquire three more Xian Y-7 turboprops once fuel prices begin to stabilise when the Iraq war is over.
Sky Eyes plans to build a charter network at U-Tapao - targeting eastern European and Russian tourists visiting nearby Pattaya beach - flying to Indochina using the Y-7s and to Hong Kong and possibly other cities in South-East Asia using the ETOPS-configured 737, says chief executive Sunthorn Charoeanmin.
The airline's current fleet comprises one Y-7, an Antonov An-24 and a Piper Navajo Chieftain. The Chinese Dongan WJ5-powered Y-7s will be re-engined with Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120s.
Services to Moulmein in Myanmar from U-Tapao are also on the drawing board, targeting Thai gem traders, but remain some way off due to the difficulties of arranging flights to Myanmar. The airline has returned a Boeing 757-200 wet-leased from Anatolia after discovering it could not operate services to China, Japan and South Korea due to bilateral restrictions.
Source: Flight International
