KHON KAEN: A tri-partite team from Thailand, Laos and Singapore is to draw up an operational plan for a new provincial airline to serve travellers in the Northeast.
Khon Kaen Chamber of Commerce, Phongsavanh Group of Laos and Mekong Group Pte Ltd from Singapore have signed a memorandum of understanding to study the operational details of establishing Khonkaen Airlines. The team aims to complete the study within six months.
Under the agreement, the study will cover legal issues, aviation regulations in Thailand and abroad, and airline registration requirements. The study will be administered by Mekong Group.
Khemchart Somchaiwong, chairman of Khon Kaen Chamber of Commerce, said the airline would be registered in Thailand while Phongsavanh Group, the previous operator of Lao Central Airlines, would provide the jets. It is expected that Boeing 737-800 MAX and 777-300 aircraft would be deployed in the beginning stage.
He said Khon Kaen international airport serves around 1.5 million passengers a year, and several foreign airlines have expressed interest in adding it to their itineraries.
Mr Khemchart believed that the new airline would increase the number of foreign visitors to the region and offer international connections for residents of 20 northeastern provinces.
Somboon Phongsavanh, chairman of Phongsavanh Group, said it would be a historic event for the company to participate in operating an airline in a foreign country. The company has already ordered the jets needed for the new airline from Boeing, he said.
The initial routes are likely to link Khon Kaen with destinations along the Mekong River, in China and elsewhere in Asia.