Air TransportThailand’s first private airline, Bangkok Airways, has announced plans to order up to 30 new commercial jets to renew its aging fleet.
According to the carrier, talks are underway with Airbus, Boeing and Embraer and it intends to close an order for 20 single-aisle aircraft this half of the year, with 10 future purchase options.
“We need to grow and a new aircraft fleet would be mandatory,” said Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, CEO of the airline.
Bangkok Airways currently flies 23 aircraft, 10 of which are ATR 72-600 turboprops received between 2014 and 2018.
There are also 11 Airbus A319s and two A320s with an average age of 19 years.
Founded in 1968 as an air taxi company, Bangkok only started regular flights in 1986 with turboprops. It was only in 2000 that the company added a jet to its fleet, the Boeing 717.
In late 2024, the airline revealed that it was evaluating the order for the Airbus A220 and the Embraer E2.
The flight network includes domestic destinations from Bangkok and the island of Ko Samui and also some international routes to Singapore, Shenzen, Cambodia and the Maldives.
