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Qatar Airways is launching a fourth Bangkok-Doha daily flight From February 20. The carrier looks also to add more flights to Phuket and to open its own lounge at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport. However, it has to face in both cases capacity constraints…
BANGKOK- Qatar Airways’ last large expansion to Thailand occurred in 2010 when the airline introduced a third daily frequency from Doha while starting its Doha-Kuala Lumpur-Phuket at the end of the same year. In 2013, Qatar Airways is resuming its growth to Thailand: the carrier will add from February 20 a fourth daily frequencies from Doha to the Thai capital. And it is just a beginning: “We are also keen to add a second daily flight to Phuket but we face troubles to secure slots as the airport is totally crowded,” explains Joegendra Rajadurai, Quatar Airways manager for Thailand and Myanmar.
The fourth daily flight boosts Qatar’s frequency between the two cities to 28 a week, marking a significant rise in capacity on one of the busiest routes from the Doha hub. The Boeing 777s, the long-haul wide-body jets that already serve the sector according to Joe Rajadurai, will also be introduced on the new frequency.
The increase is in response to growing demand, particularly from key feeder markets across Europe, Middle East, Africa and The Americas. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport is one of Asia’s premier hubs and from here passengers can connect to destinations in neighbouring countries and across Thailand.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said the additional flight was possible as more long-haul aircraft join the fleet. “Our strategy has always been to serve popular routes with multi-frequency flights and Bangkok is an example,” he said.
“Bangkok has proved to be an attractive route for us with increased passenger demand from key markets around the world. Now with the additional capacity being introduced early next year, we will be able to offer passengers more choice when deciding to plan their holidays or business trips.
“From Bangkok, travellers can have easy flight access to cities across Thailand, as well as to neighbouring countries, making it an ideal choice as the first stop for a holiday in Southeast Asia.”
The carrier is also keen to offer more flights to Phuket by offering a second daily frequency. However, it seems that it will not any additional traffic rights due to the situation of heavy congestion at the airport. “During peak hours such as around 5 pm, they are simply not enough check-in counters to accommodate passengers’ flow. The situation is really turning chaotic”, he explains.
Lack of space at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi has also prevented the carrier to open its own lounge for premium passengers – defined as a key quality element for Qatar Airways. Instead, Qatar Airways is forced to use Thai Airways international lounge, which provides sub-standard services.
With the fourth daily Bangkok-Doha flight, Qatar Airways will offer the same number of frequencies than its rival Emirates. The third Gulf carrier, Etihad Airways, flies “only” three times per day to the Thai Capital.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
