Vietjet’s Thai venture ready September

14 Jun 2014 2044 | Business & Trade Fairs

A joint venture airline, Thai VietJetAir, will launch its first services to Chiang Mai and Phuket, ahead of the peak travel season in October.
The airline is a joint venture between Vietnam’s VietJet Aviation Joint Stock Co (VietJetAir) and Thailand’s Chiang Mai-based Kan Air.
Thai VietJetAir had plans to operate domestic and international flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport this year, with two to three Airbus A320s.
Kan Air president, Somphong Sooksanguan, told TTR Weekly that the airline will inaugurate services this September.
“We plan to operate two daily flights from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport) to Chiang Mai and Phuket possibly this September.”
The new airline is still waiting for an Air Operator’s Certificate.
More details will be releases once the paperwork has been completed, he said.
Last June, VietJetAir inked a memorandum of understanding with Kan Air to form an aviation joint venture headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, with a registered capital of US$6.5 million. The Vietnamese side owns 49%, while Kan Air retains the majority 51%.
The joint venture is part of VietJetAir’s strategy to expand its operations in Asia and to offer more options for passengers, particularly those in Vietnam and Thailand, to travel to Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and other destinations in the region.
VietJetAir started to fly in Vietnam December 2011 before launching daily service between Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok in February last year and between Hanoi and Bangkok in June 2013.
Currently, the carrier has more than 700 domestic and international flights a week.
VietJetAir has expanded its all-Airbus-A320 fleet to 15, last week, when it took delivery of three new planes.
Kan Air is a domestic airline based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It operates charters and scheduled services in North Thailand from Chiang Mai to Pai, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phitsanulok and Khon Kaen.
The airline also plans to operate direct flights from Chiang Mai to Hua Hin and Ubon Ratchathani in August.

Sourced: ttrweekly