Bangkok Air updates fleet with new jets
Bangkok Post: 24/2/2009
While other airlines are deferring receiving new aircraft, or grounding and selling planes during the traffic downturn, Bangkok Airways has taken delivery of five new aircraft.
The new aircraft are four Airbus 319 jetliners and one ATR-72 turbo-prop.
They were purchased to replace older aircraft in compliance with a standing policy to limit the age of aircraft to five years. The privately owned carrier will continue to phase out older planes to benefit from fuel economy and advanced technology.
The fleet changeover does not increase the airline's overall capacity, which would pressure Bangkok Airways to fill more seats at a time of slowing traffic demand, senior executives said yesterday.
Except for its Bangkok-Macau route, which will be dropped by the end of next month, Bangkok Airways will maintain its network and frequency.
Including the new arrivals, the airline has a current fleet of 20 aircraft - nine ATR-72s, two Boeing 717s, three Airbus 320s and six Airbus 319s.
Another new Airbus 319 is scheduled to join Bangkok Airways' fleet in May this year, with the decommissioning of two Boeing 717s due in September and October this year, and an Airbus 320 in August.
But the airline is seeking to delay taking delivery of an eighth new Airbus 319, due by the end of 2009, to February 2011. In addition, delivery of a new ATR-72, also scheduled for the year-end, will be put off by one year to prevent excess capacity.
Three of the four Airbus 319s Bangkok Airways recently had delivered have two-class configuration - business (12 seats) and economy (108 seats) - and are used mainly for regional services including flights to Hiroshima, Hong Kong, Singapore and Maldives. The other Airbus 319 is all economy class, with 138 seats.
Currently, Bangkok Airways achieves a load factor of 70% and it hopes to maintain this percentage for the whole year.
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