Prayoonwitt Group, the firm owned by the Liptapanlop family, which built its fortune in the construction industry before segueing into property, has extended its purview to include aircraft charters.
Jaras Aviation’s Cessna 550 Citation Bravo, which was refurbished following its acquisition by the Liptapanlop family from its former European owner, sits at Don Mueang airport.
The 51-year-old company has set up a subsidiary called Jaras Aviation, offering both domestic and international flights with two aircraft _ a recently acquired Cessna 550 Citation Bravo jet and a Cessna Grand Caravan, a single-engine propeller plane that the family has had for private use for some time.
The creation of Jaras Aviation, named after the Prayoonwitt Group's 81-year-old founder, Jaraspim Liptapanlop, is seen as complementing the family's five-star Inter Continental Hua Hin Resort.
"We're focusing on executives of large corporations, high-net-worth individuals and international business travellers whom we believe can greatly benefit from our service, as it offers a level of personalised exclusivity and efficiency in travel for business or social purposes that is not possible through regular air travel," Mrs Jaraspim said.
With the Asean Economic Cooperation set to kick off in 2016, Mrs Jaraspim, the mother of politician Suwat, believes the frequency of travel and the need for timing flexibility for businessmen will increase tremendously in the region.
"This will have a positive effect on not only the private jet industry but also Thai business people and businesses located in Thailand," she said.
Jaras Aviation is the latest Thai outfit to jump on the private jet charter bandwagon, now featuring five active operators _ Mjets, Siam Land Flying Co, AC Aviation, Advance Aviation and Kan Air.
Jaras Aviation expects to finalise its marketing plan towards the end of this month, said a company executive.
But the firm has tasked Mjets, which operates the country's sole private jet terminal at Bangkok's Don Mueang airport, and Thai Flying Services with doing 0
Mjets will help with its wide network of clients through agencies and brokers in addition to providing aircraft maintenance and ground handling services.