Six airlines will add 38 flights during the Songkran holiday to help ease the problem of expensive tickets for domestic flights, said Transport Minister Suriya Juengrungreangkit yesterday.
The extra flights add 13,000 more seats during the period, said Mr Suriya following a meeting on lowering domestic fares during holiday periods held by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by representatives from Thai Airways (THAI), Thai AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Thai LionAir, NokAir, and Thai Vietjet, who agreed to 38 extra special domestic flights on April 11–12 and April 15–16 to destinations including Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, and Khon Kaen.
To promptly respond to passengers' demands and prevent service congestion, Mr Suriya said he had ordered related sectors, including the Airport of Thailand (AoT), the Airport Department and the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai), to speed up preparation for the additional flights.
The CAAT said the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the aviation industry and a 30% increase in fuel excise tax are the main causes of higher ticket fares.
Convenient and fast service, as well as safety and reasonable prices, are the ministry's main goals, Mr Suriya added.