LCCs strengthening hold on Thai airline industry

Low-cost carriers have further strengthened their hold on Thailand's total airline business at the expense of full service carriers. LCCs represented 44.5% of total passenger traffic through Thailand's six major airports in the first nine months of this year, numbering 91m. Budget airlines carried 20.7% more passengers in January-September than the same period last year to record 40.5m, according to figures compiled by the Airports of Thailand. The growth in LCC passenger volume outstripped overall passenger movements through AoT-operated airports, including Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, which edged up 12.49% in the first nine months. The LCC proliferation reflects the growing popularity of budget airlines due to offering lower fares than FSCs, roughly by a margin of 30%, their growing networks, additional frequencies and heavy sales promotions. LCC international passenger movements jumped by 34.6% in the first nine months of this year to 14.5m. <br/>