Nine charter flights linking Krabi to four Russian cities this month will boost tourism and strengthen its role as a gateway to the Andaman coast, Deputy Transport Minister Phattrapong Phattraprasit said.
Mr Phattrapong said the Transport Ministry is developing Thailand's transport network to promote tourism and spread economic opportunities more widely across the country, with the Department of Airports (DoA) implementing its "Airport for Regional Development" policy by improving airports' readiness and encouraging new routes that connect visitors directly to destinations.
As part of the policy, SiamWings Airlines is operating charter flights connecting Krabi International Airport directly with four Russian cities, including Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow and Yekaterinburg, from Oct 2-15.
According to Mr Phattrapong, the flights are expected to bring more than 3,000 Russian tourists to Krabi, supporting businesses across the Andaman coast, including hotels, restaurants, transport operators and community product vendors.
The new charter services demonstrate Krabi International Airport's ability to handle international flights and large passenger volumes efficiently, particularly after the development of its new passenger terminal, the deputy minister said.
DoA director-general Danai Ruengsorn said SiamWings Airlines, which holds an Air Operator Licence for scheduled commercial air transport and is based at U-Tapao Airport, deployed an Airbus A330-200 with a capacity of 345 seats for the nine charter flights.
The inaugural flight took place on Oct 2, departing U-Tapao Airport before collecting passengers at Krabi Airport for a flight to Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport in Russia. The aircraft carried 345 passengers.
Mr Danai also said his department is ready to support airlines seeking to introduce new routes to regional airports under its "New Route New Airline" incentive programme.
The scheme offers a 50% cut in airport fees to encourage carriers to launch new routes, improve links to secondary destinations, strengthen regional air transport and position Thailand as a regional aviation and tourism hub under the Airport for Regional Development policy.