Business Air to add Korea flights, expanding into China, Japan

Business Air, a Bangkok-based airline, is planning to add flights between Thailand and South Korea this high season before entering the China and Japan markets next year, aiming to approach only group travellers.

Anucha Tiwari, the airline’s chief executive officer, said it was operating four flights per week between Bangkok and Incheon and four a week on the Phuket-Incheon route. Most of its customers travel with big groups.

The airline is planning to increase the Bangkok-Incheon flight frequency to seven per week and to five for Phuket-Incheon.

“We have had an average cabin factor as high as 90 per cent during this year’s high season. We have served more than 60,000 passengers since we opened late last year. Still, more demand is coming,” Anucha said.

The carrier’s key strategy is to focus only on big groups, so it will approach tour operators that have a large number of customers, he said.

“We move with a different strategy, as we know that many Koreans prefer to travel with tour companies.”

The airline will take delivery of its fourth aircraft early next year to serve higher market demand between Thailand and South Korea.

He said that although Thailand faced a tough situation earlier, business had returned to normal.

Currently, the airline enjoys a 25-per-cent market share on the Bangkok-Korea route.

Anucha said the airline planned to spread its wings into other markets including Chongqing in China, Tokyo and Vietnam.

Company vice chairman Nucharee Phoonkeao said the airline would try to boost passenger numbers by creating some new marketing tactics. One strategy is to print all passengers’ names in its in-flight magazine.

It will be the first airline to make a move of that kind to get closer to customers.

“We want to keep customers with us in this way. We also update them with the latest fashion products as well as the newest entertainment content in the magazine,” Nucharee said.