Air Transport

Thai carrier Bangkok Airways is suspending services on two international routes and reducing frequency on another to help it cope with increases in fuel prices and allow it to allocate capacity elsewhere.

Sister carrier Siem Reap Airways is meanwhile suspending services on one international route.

A spokesman says from Bangkok that the carrier is suspending services between Bangkok and Shenzhen in China on 15 August and suspending services between Bangkok and Fukuoka in Japan on 1 October.

Cambodian sister carrier Siem Reap Airways is suspending services between Siem Reap and Hong Kong on 15 August.

In addition, the spokesman says Bangkok Airways will reduce frequency between Bangkok and Hiroshima in Japan on 1 October to two flights per week from three.

He says the suspensions come as the airline is seeking to cope with high fuel prices, adding that it will allow it to better allocate capacity for more profitable services.

“Everyone has to tighten their belts now,” says the spokesman. “We are going over all the routes that make the least money and we will adjust our network as we need to. But we are looking to increase our flights in other areas and we will announce those when they are ready.”

In recent weeks other Thai carriers have reduced operations as well, such as Nok Air and Thai Airways International. One-Two-Go also reduced its operations by half earlier this month and later suspended services outright as a result of a forced grounding by Thai authorities on safety grounds. It hopes to resume services in the coming months.

Source: flightglobal.com's sister premium news site Air Transport Intelligence news