Politic-Economic-Society-Tech

New Vietnam flights and China visa perks
More Mekong links are on agenda

Boonsong Kositchotethana

Bangkok Airways, Thailand's largest private airline, has won privileges from Chinese and Vietnamese authorities that will boost its regional expansion.

The airline is allowed to use the rights of Vietnam Airlines to carry passengers directly on return flights between Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City. The Vietnamese carrier has not fully utilised these rights, partly because of a lack of aircraft.

In addition, authorities in Southern China have agreed to grant visas on arrival to passengers of Bangkok Airways, which looks set to launch a regular service to Yunnan later this year.

Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth, the airline's president and chief executive, used "business diplomacy" to gain the rights without much help from Thai authorities, industry observers said.

The rights granted by Vietnam will allow Bangkok Airways to start scheduled services between Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City in October, competing against Thai Airways International, the national carrier, which has served the route for some time.

Meanwhile, visas on arrival are expected to ensure good passenger volume on Bangkok Airways' first regular service from Chiang Mai to Jinghong, better known among Thais as Chiang Rung, due to be inaugurated on Oct 18.

The services to Vietnam and China are part of the 32-year-old private airline's bid for a dominant role in the Mekong sub-region's air travel industry.

Bangkok Airways is poised to start offering regular services to destinations in Southern China, Laos and Vietnam in the next one or two years while embarking on additional Thai domestic flights.

In an interview, Dr Prasert said the Chinese visa-on-arrival service, at US$12 a passenger, was exclusively for Bangkok Airways' passengers, most of whom are likely to be Thais with family and business connections in Yunnan.

Passengers on other airlines would still need to obtain their visa in advance, usually at the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok, he said.

The privilege for Bangkok Airways forms part of the Yunnan authorities' collaboration with the Thai airline to put Jinghong on the tourist map.

Bangkok Airways intends to use its 70-seat ATR twin turbo-prop aircraft on flights to Jinghong, which take one hour and 10 minutes.

The current plan calls for three flights a week to Jinghong, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The airline is likely to use the same aircraft for the Bangkok-Ho Chi Minh services. Details are being finalised.

Bangkok Airways already serves Ho Chi Minh City through its Cambodian subsidiary, Siem Reap Airways International, using the rights granted under the Cambodia-Vietnam aviation pact.

Siem Reap Airways International operates ATR 72 daily service between Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City.

Dr Prasert said that Bangkok Airways looked set to start a regular service to Luang Prabang in Laos in October. The flight from Bangkok will be via Sukhothai as part of an attempt to link official World Heritage destinations: Sukhothai, Luang Prabang, Hue in Vietnam and Siem Reap in Cambodia.

On the domestic front, Bangkok Airways is poised to become the first airline to operate scheduled service to Hua Hin after completion of the Hua Hin airport expansion. The service is expected to start in October on the Bangkok-Hua Hin-Samui route.


source: Bangkok Post, 18 July 2001