Bangkok Airways has expressed keen curiosity in an investment in the proposed airport in Phangnga if the government chooses to shift from a public scheme to a collaborative public-private partnership. The recent funding is seen as a strategic transfer, as the brand new airport holds immense potential to turn into Thailand’s next tourist hotspot.
The Thai government’s contemplation over funding into the construction of a new airport at Phangnga stems from the want to alleviate the overcrowding at Phuket airport. Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, Bangkok Airways’ president, sees this potential project as a profitable alternative which might open up a new passage for airlines transporting passengers to southern Thailand.
According to Insane , expanding the runway at Phuket airport just isn’t presently feasible, making the development of a second airport inside proximity a viable answer to accommodate extra flights. Moreover, he added, Phangnga is garnering recognition as an up-and-coming vacation spot amongst foreign travellers, a compelling argument for funding into tourism growth with a brand new airport.
The feasibility study for the Phangnga airport, which is projected to cost around 80 billion baht, was revived by the Airports of Thailand after the Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, visited the province final month, affirming that the new investment was imperative for bolstering tourism, reported Bangkok Post.
Puttipong believes that airport investment might result in substantial income generation. Bangkok Airways already owns airports in Samui, Sukhothai, and Trat which bring in about 2 billion baht each year for the company.
With travel demand escalating in the last quarter, the airline has raised its annual revenue goal from ticket gross sales from 15 billion baht to sixteen billion baht, aiming for an average load issue of 78%.
He additional added that operational costs have soared in the post-pandemic interval, leading to an expected rise within the common ticket worth for this 12 months by 8% from its earlier forecast, from three,four hundred baht per flight to three,643 baht per flight.
As a half of its plans, Bangkok Airways aims to resume two flights from its Samui hub to the Chinese hubs of Chongqing and Chengdu in November. Despite this, the airline does not intend to aggressively broaden Chinese routes because of low demand. Its present plan is to concentrate on optimising its existing capability with a higher load issue by providing cheap ticket prices..