The budget airline THAI Smile is pulling out of Don Mueang, ending its policy of operating simultaneously at two airports serving Bangkok.
The fully owned subsidiary of Thai Airways International will stop all flights from Don Mueang on Jan 16 and move all services to Suvarnabhumi.
The low-cost carrier yesterday described the move as complying with a revised strategy to consolidate operations at Suvarnabhumi and cooperate with the parent airline in pursuing Indian, Chinese and Asean markets.
The move represents a dramatic departure from the airline group's strategy dating back to 2014, when it saw the need for THAI Smile to operate at Don Mueang and capture a share of budget airline traffic at the airport.
THAI Smile has since Aug 8, 2014 operated three domestic routes out of Don Mueang, to Chiang Mai (four flights a day), Phuket (three daily) and Khon Kaen (three daily).
Cost considerations are also a factor in the Don Mueang pull-out, as operating simultaneously from two airports in close proximity is expensive, according to industry executives.
They said the airline group has considered terminating its Don Mueang operation for months and stopped selling tickets out of the airport about four months ago.
After the move, THAI Smile will operate seven daily flights out of Suvarnabhumi to and from Phuket, eight a day to Khon Kaen and nine a day to Chiang Mai.