Bangkok Airways has further strengthened its code-share partnership, with Austrian Airlines being the latest international carrier to come on board.
The listing of Austrian Airlines as its 21st partner comes as Bangkok Airways aggressively tries to bring Chinese carriers into its code-sharing pool.
One of the airlines the SET-listed full-service carrier is keenly seeking to incorporate into the partnership is China Eastern, according to Bangkok Airways executives.
Bangkok Airways has prioritised Chinese carriers as a means of tapping into China's huge volume of air traffic, both in Thailand and beyond.
Thailand is one of the most popular destinations among Chinese tourists, with many cities and resort destinations being covered by Bangkok Airways.
"China is truly an important market which we haven't really taken advantage of by means of a code-share partnership with Chinese carriers,'' an executive noted.
Chinese arrivals to Thailand have been surging, with first quarter numbers jumping 31% to more than 2.6 million. For 2016, 10 million Chinese visitors are expected, up from 8 million last year.
Bangkok Airways' Chinese passengers accounted for 5.5% of total passenger volume in the first quarter of this year, an increase from 4% last year and 3% in 2014.
Expanding code-share partnerships with international airlines has been a main strategic tool for Bangkok Airways to boost its traffic rather than pursuing its own network expansion to reach new source markets, as other carriers have done.
The airline's code-share partners are expected to bring in nearly a third of its 5.8 million passengers projected for this year.
Bangkok Airways is also considering new routes of its own to link its Samui airport hub with Chinese cities, including Guangzhou and Chongqing.
Meanwhile, the partnership with Austrian Airlines will enable passengers of the European carrier to seamlessly connect with eight cities served by Bangkok Airways.
Those cities are Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Trat in Thailand and Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia.