Bangkok Airways

Bangkok Airways Public Company Limited (Thai: บางกอกแอร์เวย์ส) is a regional airline based in Bangkok, Thailand.^[3] It operates scheduled services to destinations in Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Singapore, and Vietnam. Its main base is Suvarnabhumi Airport.^[4]

Bangkok Airways
บางกอกแอร์เวย์ส

IATA ICAO Callsign PG BKP BANGKOK AIR
Founded	1968; 56 years ago (1968) (as Sahakol Air)
Commenced operations	1989; 35 years ago (1989) (as Bangkok Airways)
AOC #	AOC.0001^[1]
Operating bases	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi Chiang Mai Hat Yai Krabi Phuket Samui
Frequent-flyer program	Flyer Bonus
Fleet size	35
Destinations	20^[2]
Parent company	Prasarttong-Osoth Co., Ltd.
Traded as	SET: BA
Headquarters	Chomphon subdistrict, Chatuchak district, Bangkok, Thailand
Key people	Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth (President)
Revenue	29,418 million baht (2019)
Net income	351 million baht (2019)
Total assets	61,908 million baht (2019)
Employees	3,010 (2019)
Website	www.bangkokair.com

History

The airline was established in 1968 as Sahakol Air, operating air taxi services under contract from the Overseas International Construction Company (OICC), an American construction company, the United States Operations Mission (USOM), and a number of other organisations engaged in oil and natural gas exploration in the Gulf of Thailand. It began scheduled services in 1986, becoming Thailand's first privately owned domestic airline. It rebranded to become Bangkok Airways in 1989. The airline is owned by Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth (92.31 percent), Sahakol Estate (4.3 percent), Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (1.2 percent), and other shareholders (2.19 percent). At one point, it also wholly owned subsidiary airline Siem Reap Airways in Cambodia.^[4]

It built its own airport on Ko Samui, which opened in April 1989 and offers direct flights between the island and Chiang Mai, Hong Kong, Krabi, Pattaya, Phuket, and Singapore.^[5] The airline opened its second airport in Sukhothai Province in 1996. A third airport was built in Trat Province, opening in March 2003 to serve the tourism destination of Ko Chang.

The airline made its first foray into jet aircraft in 2000, when it started adding Boeing 717s to its fleet. Until that time, Bangkok Airways had flown propeller-driven aircraft, primarily the ATR 72. It had also operated the De Havilland Canada Dash 8, the Shorts 330 and for a short time a Fokker 100. The carrier added another jet, the Airbus A320, to its fleet in 2004.

Bangkok Airways planned to order wide-body aircraft as part of its ambition to expand its fleet but these plans to expand to the long haul market eventually fell short. It wanted to add its first wide-body jets in 2006 to serve longer-haul destinations such as the UK, India, and Japan and is looking at Airbus A330, Airbus A340 and Boeing 787 aircraft. In December 2005, Bangkok Airways announced it had decided to negotiate an order for six Airbus A350-800 aircraft in a 258-seat configuration, to be delivered to the airline commencing 2013 but the order of the aircraft was cancelled in 2011 due to the further delay of the Airbus plane.^[6][7]

In 2007, Royal Household Secretary General Kaewkwan Watcharoethai awarded Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth a royal warrant to display the Garuda emblem.^[8]

In 2017, Bangkok Airways received a new Air Operator Certificate, recertified to safety standards set out by ICAO from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.^[9]

Financials

For the fiscal year ending 31 December 2019, Bangkok Airways reported a profit of 351 million baht on revenues of 29,418 million baht. Its assets were valued at 61,908 million baht.^[10] BA lost 300 million baht during the first quarter of 2020, compared with a profit of 500 million baht a year earlier. Earnings have continued to decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the airline has asked for government assistance.^[11] As of 31 December 2019, BA employed 3,010 persons.^[12]

Destinations

As of December 2023^[update], Bangkok Airways flies to the following destinations:^[13][14][15]

Country/Territory	City/Region	Airport	Notes	Refs
Cambodia	Phnom Penh	Phnom Penh International Airport
	Siem Reap	Siem Reap International Airport	Airport Closed
		Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport
China	Chengdu	Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport	Terminated
	Chongqing	Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport	Terminated
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Hong Kong International Airport
India	Bengaluru	Kempegowda International Airport	Terminated	^[16]^[17]
	Mumbai	Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport	Terminated
Laos	Luang Prabang	Luang Prabang International Airport
	Vientiane	Wattay International Airport	Terminated
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	Kuala Lumpur International Airport	Terminated
Maldives	Malé	Velana International Airport
Myanmar	Mandalay	Mandalay International Airport	Terminated
	Naypyidaw	Nay Pyi Taw International Airport	Terminated
	Yangon	Yangon International Airport
Singapore	Singapore	Changi Airport
Thailand	Bangkok	Don Mueang International Airport		^[18]
		Suvarnabhumi Airport	Base
	Chiang Mai	Chiang Mai International Airport	Base
	Chiang Rai	Chiang Rai International Airport	Terminated
	Hat Yai	Hat Yai International Airport	Base
	Ko Samui	Samui Airport	Base
	Krabi	Krabi International Airport	Base
	Lampang	Lampang Airport
	Mae Hong Son	Mae Hong Son Airport		^[19]
	Pattaya	U-Tapao International Airport
	Phuket	Phuket International Airport	Base
	Sukhothai	Sukhothai Airport
	Trat	Trat Airport
Vietnam	Da Nang	Da Nang International Airport		^[20]
	Hanoi	Noi Bai International Airport	Terminated
	Nha Trang	Cam Ranh International Airport	Terminated
	Phu Quoc	Phu Quoc International Airport	Terminated

Codeshare agreements

As of October 2023, Bangkok Airways had codeshare agreements with 27 airlines.^[12]: 80

• Aeroflot^[21]
• Air Astana
• British Airways^[22]
• Cathay Pacific
• China Airlines
• El Al^[23]
• Emirates
• Etihad Airways
• EVA Air
• Garuda Indonesia
• Japan Airlines
• Lao Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Philippine Airlines^[24]
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• S7 Airlines
• Singapore Airlines^[25]
• Thai Airways International
• Turkish Airlines
• Vietnam Airlines^[26]
• Xiamen Airlines^[27]

Interline agreements

• Air India^[28]

Fleet

 

A Bangkok Airways Airbus A319-100 at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

 

An Airbus A320-200, Phuket International Airport

Current fleet

As of December 2023^[update], Bangkok Airways operates the following aircraft:^[29]

Bangkok Airways Fleet

Aircraft	In Service	Orders	Passengers	Notes
Airbus A319-100	13	—	120
			144
Airbus A320-200	4	—	162
ATR 72-600	10	—	70
Total	27	—

Historic fleet

Bangkok Airways Retired Fleet

Aircraft	Total	Introduced	Retired	Notes
ATR 42-300	1	1997	2001
ATR 72-200	9	1994	2006
ATR 72-500	8	2002	2019
	1		2009	HS-PGL crashed as Flight 266.
Boeing 717-200	4	2000	2009
De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100	1	1989	1994
	1		1990	HS-SKI crashed as Flight 125.
De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q300	5	1990	1996
Embraer EMB-110P2 Bandeirante	Un­known	Un­known	Un­known
Fokker 100	1	1992	1993
McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30	1	2008	2008

Airports owned

Bangkok Airways owns and operates three airports:^[30]

• Samui Airport (25 April 1989 – present)^[31]
• Sukhothai Airport (12 April 1996 – present)
• Trat Airport (8 April 2003 – present)

Incidents and accidents

• On 7 December 1987, a Sahakol Air Hawker Siddeley HS 748 Series 2A (registration HS-THH), was damaged beyond repair after it overran the runway on landing at Udon Thani Airport with no fatalities.^[32]
• On 21 November 1990, a de Havilland Canada DHC-8-103 operating as Bangkok Airways Flight 125 crashed on Koh Samui while attempting to land in heavy rain and high winds. All 38 people on board perished.^[33]
• In August 2002 an ATR 72-200 skidded off the runway while landing at Siem Reap International Airport. There were no injuries. The airport was closed for two days.
• On 4 August 2009, Bangkok Airways Flight 266, operated by an ATR 72 between Krabi and Koh Samui, skidded off the runway, killing a captain. The 68 passengers were evacuated.^[34] Of the passengers evacuated, six sustained serious injuries while another four were treated for minor injuries.^[35]

Sponsorship

Bangkok Airways is currently an official sponsor of Chiangrai United, Sukhothai FC, Chiang Mai FC, Trat FC,^[36] Lampang FC, Krabi FC, Kasetsart FC, Bangkok Christian College FC and Borussia Dortmund.^[37]

References

1. "List of Thailand Air Operator Certificate Holders". Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
2. "Bangkok Airways on ch-aviation". ch-aviation. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
3. "Contact Us 12 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine." Bangkok Airways. Retrieved on 12 May 2010.
4. "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 27 March 2007. p. 84.
5. Airways Flight Schedule 9 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved on 26 November 2008
6. Bangkok Airways selects A350 for new long range services 10 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine 30 December 2005
7. "Bangkok Airways appears to cancel A350-800 order". Flightglobal.com. 6 September 2011.
8. "Bangkok Airways receive the Royal Garuda Emblem". Travel Blackboard. 16 April 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
9. "Bangkok Airways Recertified". Airliner World (May 2017): 16.
10. "BA : BANGKOK AIRWAYS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED". Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). Retrieved 1 July 2020.
11. Muramatsu, Yohei (1 July 2020). "Thailand's travel slump clouds outlook for $9bn 'Airport City'". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
12. Annual Report 2019 (PDF). Bangkok: Bangkok Airways. 2020. p. 124. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
13. "About Bangkok Airways". Bangkok Airways. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
14. "Flight Schedule". Bangkok Airways. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
15. "Route Map". Bangkok Airways. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
16. "Bangkok Airways to increase planned new Bangkok – Bangalore route to Daily by Dec 2011". Routesonline. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
17. "Bangkok Airways Cancels Bangalore Service from mid-Sep 2012". Routesonline. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
18. "Bangkok Airways Adds Bangkok Don Mueang Service in NW23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
19. "Bangkok Airways increases Mae Hong Son service in NW23". AeroRoutes. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
20. "Bangkok Airways Revises Planned Da Nang Launch to late-May 2016". airlineroute. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
21. Liu, Jim (25 April 2019). "Aeroflot expands Bangkok Airways codeshare to Vietnam from April 2019". Routesonline. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
22. . CAPA. Centre for Aviation. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
23. "El Al / Bangkok Airways begins codeshare service from late-March 2018". routesonline.com.
24. "PAL, Bangkok Airways sign code-share deal". ABS-CBN News.
25. "Singapore Airlines and Bangkok Airways enter codeshare partnership". CAPA. 5 September 2023.
26. "Bangkok Airways and Vietnam Airlines Enter Code-Share Agreement". Bangkok Airways Public Co., Ltd. Bangkok Airways. 31 October 2017.
27. "Xiamen Airlines plans Bangkok Airways codeshare partnership". routesonline.com.
28. "Air India enters into interline partnership with Bangkok Airways". Times of India. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
29. "Our Fleet". Bangkok Airways. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
30. "Company Profile". 27 January 2017.
31. . The Nation. Bangkok. 2 June 2018. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
32. "ASN Aircraft accident Hawker Siddeley HS-748-243 Srs. 2A HS-THH Udon Thani Airport (UTH)". Aviation-safety.net. 7 December 1987. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
33. . Plane Crash Info. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
34. . Manager.co.th. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
35. Shearing, Caroline (5 August 2009). "Koh Samui airport reopens after plane crash". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
36. "Bangkok Airways is the sponsor of Trat FC 24 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine" Siamsport on 24 February 2014
37. "Bangkok Airways is the sponsor of Borussia Dortmund" Siamsport on 27 March 2018

External links

  Media related to Bangkok Airways at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website