30 C
Pattaya
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Thailand’s really cool airlines have emerged

spot_img

Must read

Thailand’s new airline Really Cool Airlines will focus exclusively on international routes, including Japan, Australia, the UK, France and China

Thailand has a new international long-haul carrier, Really Cool Airlines, which will focus exclusively on international routes, the Bangkok Post reported, citing Pati Sarasin, founder and CEO of the new airline.

Against the backdrop of Thai tourism’s recovery, veteran airline industry executive Pati Sarasin has created a new long-haul carrier with the help of venture capital. The company is starting with four wide-body aircraft and aims to provide 70% of its foreign passengers.

The carrier is now in the process of obtaining an operator certificate and an air operating licence from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand. The certificates should be issued in September for the first flight to take place in December, the airline’s chief executive said.

“I want to help attract tourists to Thailand and change the aviation industry through innovation and technology,” Pati said.

Marketing Really Cool Airlines as a full-service lifestyle carrier allows the airline to offer services ranging from premium to budget. The name Really Cool Airlines, can be translated into Russian as ‘Really Cool Airlines’.

The carrier plans to start operations with two leased Airbus A330 aircraft this year and add two more in early 2024. The company’s potential routes include Japan, Australia, the UK, France and China.

According to Pati, recruitment will start in June this year and the airline is now working on details such as pricing strategy and revenue forecast. The company plans to start operations with four wide-body aircraft and the target is 70% foreign passengers.

The airline will focus exclusively on international routes to avoid high competition on domestic routes, which will become more intense when domestic tourism returns to normal levels, Pati said.

Really Cool Airlines founder Pati Sarasin worked for Nok Air for 14 years until 2017 and later witnessed a downturn in the aviation business during the pandemic. But Pati decided to return to the airline business when he saw the potential of long-haul travel, given the huge demand for travel to Thailand by foreigners and limited flight options.

Pati Sarasin owns a 51 per cent stake in Really Cool Airlines, which has a share capital of 1 million baht. Other shareholders include a venture capital firm made up of investors from various industries.

“Our shareholders are Thais who have no experience in the aviation industry, including people from the technology industry, but they can share their expertise from other fields that could be useful for the new airline,” Pati said.

“The company aims to become the most innovative airline, differentiating itself from the existing players.”

Pati said the idea for the airline came about last year after he helped the head of a well-known Thai carrier restructure its operations.

“Unfortunately, that executive passed away last year, so I decided to pursue the plan we discussed with him to bring the concept to life,” Pati said, referring to the death of former AirAsia X Group chief executive Nadd Buranasiri.

One lesson learnt from the pandemic is how to balance the airline’s cargo revenue, which has proved to be a lifesaver for many carriers desperate for a steady revenue stream over the past three years, Pati explained adding:

“I am confident that we have a formula that will help us survive any crisis in the future.”

Tickets for the new airline can be booked using a handy search form from the Aviasales service when the carrier starts operating scheduled flights. In the meantime, you can find low-cost tickets on any other airline.

Catch up on more stories here

Follow us on Facebook here

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -spot_img
- Advertisement -spot_img

Latest article