Bangkok Airways is focused on achieving full recovery, being more sustainable, as well as bettering its airport operations, for the year.
Bangkok Airways’ director – key account and ancillary product, Komkrit Ngamwongwirot, told TTG Asia at ITB Berlin: “Our target this year is to fly 4.4 million passengers, up from 3.6 million last year. This translates to 16 billion baht (US$452.7 million) in revenue this year – last year we did 14.8 billion baht.”
To hit that target, frequencies in the current network have to be restored, with at least 50,000 flights to take to the skies this year. However, the airline will not be exploring new destinations beyond its current network this year.
“We recently restored our Koh Samui-Chengdu and Koh Samui-Chongqing flights, and will be doing some marketing in China. The China market has been quite slow to recovery, and currently, Europe is our number one source market,” Komkrit said.
When asked what the airline’s biggest hurdle was at the moment, Komkrit said: “The biggest challenge we have at the moment is the move to net zero, as this comes at a cost. We are moving towards SAF (sustainable aviation fuel), but this is more expensive than regular fuel. We are trying to find the right balance, and sell it at a price that customers can accept.”
Bangkok Airways’ other carbon-neutral efforts include upcycling used staff uniforms into tote bags and aprons for airport lounge staff. The airline has also implanted technology to reduce fuel consumption, as well as several technical procedures, such as using one engine to taxi instead of two, which “has already helped us save a fair bit”, he shared.
Aside from increasing passenger count, Komkrit indicated that Bangkok Airways will also ensure better and smoother operations, including ground and catering services, at its three airports – Koh Samui, Sukhothai, and Trat.
“We are developing and investing the airports so that they will be key hubs for visitors into Thailand in the next five to 10 years. To do that, we are working to fly more planes, (and attract more airlines) to land at those airports. We are also on the lookout for partners to work with to further develop (other airport-related) services,” he stated.
