While some Thai-registered airlines are actively expanding, Bangkok Airways is sticking to its conservative approach in advancing its business.
The airline is happy with the slow-but-steady expansion it has embraced throughout its 47-year history.
"Airlines that are aggressively pursuing dramatic growth will soon be exhausted as there are so many uncertainties involved," says Prote Setsuwan, vice-president for marketing at Bangkok Airways, referring to low-cost carriers (LCCs).
"Jet fuel is fairly cheap today but who knows if the price will soar again over the next two years," he said, pointing out one of the uncertainties faced by airlines.
"It's best to grow little by little, sure-footed, so when things go wrong we can quickly arrest the problem," Mr Prote told the Bangkok Post.
The SET-listed airline will seek to build on the existing platform, especially with regard to network and reliance on passenger feed from its numerous international code-share partners, which at 19 is the largest number in Thailand.
Its conservative approach is evident from the winter flight programme, which starts later this month and sees the launch of only one new route but increased frequencies on certain existing routes.
Bangkok Airways yesterday launched a daily flight between Phuket and Hat Yai using an ATR-72 turboprop.
It also intends to boost the frequencies on its routes popular in the high season -- Phuket and Samui.
For instance, it will increase Bangkok-Samui services to nine flights a day from eight; Phuket-Samui flights to 45 a week from 35; Samui-Singapore to 12 a week from 10; and Samui-Hong Kong to three a day from two.
There are 13 routes in Bangkok Airways' network with 10 of them domestic and the rest international.
Mr Prote said the airline is seriously looking at adding several destinations to its network.
The airline will continue to study the potential of serving more cities in Myanmar, including Myeik and Dawei. Myeik is more prominent on its radar screen, though no date has been fixed so far, he said.
The airline's strategy for network expansion is to add "exotic" destinations in Myanmar in particular and Southeast Asia in general that have not been covered by LCCs and full-service airlines due to airport capacity restrictions allowing turboprop aircraft only, which most carriers do not use.
Bangkok Airways has been the chief provider of services from Thailand to Myanmar, operating three routes from Bangkok -- to Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw. It also provides regular flights from Chiang Mai to Mandalay and Yangon.
Mr Prote said the airline was happy with its financial performance so far with a "satisfactory" yield and expectation of a record net profit for the whole of this year and passenger volumes surpassing 5 million, up from 4.8 million last year.
The airline posted net earnings of 1.16 billion baht in the first half of this year, compared with 188 million baht in the same period last year.
BA shares closed on the SET on Friday at 19.80 baht, unchanged, in trade worth 107 million baht.