Bhutan Airlines will embark on its second route out of Bangkok to Gaya in India to tap seasonal travel demand. The second carrier of the landlocked state in the eastern Himalayas is set to launch twice-weekly non-stop services on the city-pair on a scheduled basis on Dec 4. It will compete with budget carrier THAI Smile, which operates non-stop flights from the Thai capital to the Indian city, albeit on a more frequent basis: five flights a week. Bhutan Airlines' debut of the Bangkok-Gaya flight was timed to coincide with the start of Thai Buddhist pilgrimages to the place where the Buddha was said to have obtained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. Some 70,000 travellers from Thailand landed in Gaya last year, almost entirely for pilgrimage purposes. <br/>
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AirAsia said Thursday its Q3 earnings improved substantially, thanks to a record load factor, higher lease income and lower fuel costs. For its Malaysian operations, net profit between July and September recovered to 353m ringgit ($79m) compared with a net loss of 405m ringgit a year ago. Revenue grew 11% on the year to 1.68b ringgit, thanks to stronger demand for travel to regional destinations as a weakening ringgit discouraged long-distance flights to Europe or America, the company said. On a consolidated basis that included contributions from units in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Japan, AirAsia said revenue grew 6% to 2.97b ringgit on profit before taxation of 403m ringgit. In the quarter, the number of passengers carried rose 11% to 14.23m, contributing to sales growth across all units except Indonesia and Japan. In Malaysia, the load factor improved from 82% to 89%, the highest since its establishment in 2001. Average fare also grew 4% to 164 ringgit, while cost per available seat kilometer declined 10% to 0.10 ringgit on lower jet fuel. Units in Thailand, the Philippines and India recorded revenue growth of 12%, 24% and 32% respectively. In Indonesia, revenue declined 26% but AirAsia said it is on track to be in the black in the second half of 2016 on a turnaround plan to cut capacity and network.<br/>