Bangkok Airways keen on passenger numbers

Bangkok Airways is aiming for a post-pandemic high of 4.7m passengers this year, based on optimism about Thai tourism driven by interest in HBO's The White Lotus TV series. Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, president of Bangkok Airways, said the airline already recorded a 14% increase in advance bookings from March until September this year. Season 3 of The White Lotus series was filmed in Thailand, including Samui, helping to boost overall tourism sentiment. Bookings for Samui have surged since the end of last year, even before the series was available via streaming. A luxury hotel chain operating on Samui already contacted the airline to co-promote travel on the island following the success of the latest series. Puttipong said according to the International Air Transport Association, the aviation industry has continued to grow and Asia-Pacific has the highest travel demand. This year, the airline expects to operate 48,077 flights with an average load factor of 82%. The company expects to fly 4.7m passengers, the highest since the pandemic. In 2019, it served more than 5.8m passengers. The average airfare for Bangkok Airways is 4,200 baht. The airline operates flights to 11 domestic destinations and eight cities overseas. He said the airline plans to resume the Samui-Kuala Lumpur route to attract European tourists.<br/>