5 new Thai airlines to start flying in 2024

Thai nationals are launching five new airlines with a total investment of at least 3.85b baht (S$145m), expecting to start commercial operations in 2024, eyeing a piece of Thailand’s growing aviation market which is estimated to reach 320b baht in value in 2024. The five new airlines that have been granted the Air Operating Licence (AOL) are: Really Cool Airlines, P80 Air, Pattaya Airways, Siam Seaplane and Landarch Airlines, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT). These airlines will have to wait for the CAAT to approve their Air Operator Certificate (AOC) before they can fly commercially in Thailand. Patee Sarasin, CEO of Really Cool Airlines, said that the airline expected to receive an AOC in January 2024 and start flying from Q2. In the first two years of operation, Really Cool Airlines would focus on Asian routes such as Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shanghai with four Airbus A330-300 aircrafts, said Patee. With an initial crew of 130, the company will test the market with chartered flights during March 2024 to May 2024, then switch to regular flights and later expand to European markets.“We would not compete with Thai Airways International on their regular routes but would focus on flights to secondary cities, which would also help further promote Thailand’s tourism industry,” said Patee. Really Cool would also be the world first’s airline that delivers passenger luggage to their doors, he added. “We are planning to invest some 1b baht in products and services under Rally Cool brands, such as Really Cool Taxi, Really Cool Medical, and Really Cool Cargo,” he said. Meanwhile, P80 Air spokesman Sorakrit Wannala said that the company expected to get its AOC in the next eight to nine months and start commercial operation in the last quarter of 2024.<br/>