Huge expansion on the cards for Thai Lion Air
STAFF WRITER



BANGKOK: -- Budget airline Thai Lion Air (TLA) has announced huge plans for expansion in its domestic and international network, opening up more of Asia for its Thai customers.

Within Thailand, TLA will be adding services from Khon Kaen, Trang and Phitsanulok to its roster, according to the Bangkok Post. It also plans to create a domestic route between Chiang Mai and Hat Yai in a bid to better link the north and the south of the Kingdom.

Also in TLA’s sights are flights to Yangon, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi from Don Mueang airport, all of which are expected to make their debut this year.

The airline are also keen to launch a regular route to Beijing from both Don Mueang and Chiang Mai, which could go ahead in the second half of 2016.

A route to Japan, specifically Fukuoka, is also desired although currently on hold after Thailand’s airlines were all put under special measures by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in March 2015, after a number of safety issues were flagged.

Full story: http://whatsonsukhumvit.com/huge-expansion-on-the-cards-for-thai-lion-air/

-- (c) What's on Sukhumvit 2016-03-29

"It also plans to create a domestic route between Chiang Mai and Hat Yai in a bid to better link the north and the south of the Kingdom."

That's the route which Thai Air Asia have already been operating once/twice-daily for a few years, and which Nok-Air operated for several months until squeezed off the route by TAA, and which I first flew (on Orient Thai's elderly B727 ?) some 20-years-ago ?

.....'on the cards'....???

Passenger safety should be the prime concern for these new carriers with morgen aircraft and efficient pilots.

"The airline are also keen to launch a regular route to Beijing from both Don Mueang and Chiang Mai..."

my god

The Thai Lion flights Don Muang <-> Phuket are quite good, nice planes and staff. Not enough daily flights for my usage and they are late in the day, so hoping for more.

Passenger safety should be the prime concern for these new carriers with morgen aircraft and efficient pilots.

Its great to be able to jump on a flight for less than a 1000 baht between Chiang Mai and Bangkok and most of the time not pay much more even if you fly at short notice. But over capacity and cheap fares don't go hand in hand with top line safety, thats the big negative with cheap domestic flights in Thailand.