Kan Air is all set to break new ground for U-tapao airport in Rayong by linking it with the rest of Thailand.
The Thai commuter airline will on April 10 start providing scheduled commercial flights between the Eastern Seaboard airport, operated by the Royal Thai Navy, to four other cities -- Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani and Bangkok (Don Mueang airport).
Kan Air will open a new chapter for the airport, 190 kilometres southeast of Bangkok in an area bordering Chon Buri's Sattahip district and Rayong's Ban Chang district.
The airport is sparsely used, with only Bangkok Airways operating limited regular turboprop flights to Koh Samui and Phuket.
U-tapao has been used largely for international charter flight operators ferrying tourists, mostly from the Commonwealth of Independent States, including Russia, for holidays in Pattaya.
Once the base for long-range B-52 Stratofortress bombers of the US Air Force during the Vietnam War, the airport will be Kan Air's second base after its Chiang Mai airport hub.
Domestic commercial flights from U-tapao are considered an untapped market, as most airlines have shunned its potential despite its proximity to Pattaya, a major destination for foreign tourists.
Somphong Sooksanguan, president of Kannithi Aviation Co, Kan Air's operator, said the recent arrival of its second ATR 72-500 turboprop aeroplane configured with about 60 seats allowed the airline to launch a service out of U-tapao.
Kan Air offers four flights a week from U-tapao to both Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani and three a week to Chiang Mai.
The airline will initially offer a daily flight between Don Mueang and U-tapao airports using its Hawker Beechcraft Premier I, a six-seat executive jet, before upgrading to the ATR 72-500.
Kan Air has adopted aggressive pricing to develop flights out of U-tapao with flat fares starting from 990 baht one way including a hot meal.
Mr Somphong, the airline's founder, said Kan Air's service out of U-tapao would be extended south to Phuket, Hat Yai and Surat Thani later this year.