"Low-cost Tiger Airways happy to stay at Don Muang



Singapore (dpa) - Tiger Airways on Thursday welcomed Thailand's plan to keep low-cost airlines at Bangkok's old Don Muang Airport while their full-service counterparts used the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport.



The plan "shows that budget carriers are coming into their own as more and more countries appreciate their importance and contribution to the tourism industry," The Straits Times quoted Tiger Chief Executive Tony Davis as saying. "This explains why more and more countries are developing specialized airports to cater to budget airlines," he said.



A subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, Tiger's response differed from rival Jetstar Asia. "It has always been the basis that we consider opportunities for Jetstar Asia on the merits of how it will best serve our passengers' needs," Jetstar Asia said.



Singapore and Thailand have an open-skies arrangement, allowing Singapore carriers to pick up passengers in Bangkok and fly them to other destinations.



Industry observers noted travellers flying to Bangkok on low-cost carriers may have difficulty connecting to flights on full-service carriers."



www.bangkokpost.net/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=61168



Dom MUang served about 29 million passengers a year. The new airport is touted as having a capacity of 45 million passengers a year. They are suggesting that the new airport will be overcapacitied?



The inconvenience to travellers switching aiports will be enormous.

a recent article in the Nation indicated the new airport would reach capacity in 4 years if the budget airlines were to move there now but it would take 6 years if the budgets stay at the old airport and other services may have to be moved back to the old airport as well - great planning!



bkkguy

Yes that happens if you take the recent growth in budget airlines and project into the future. BUT they only started less than two years ago and there was phenominal growth which will not be repeated and they can't offer the rock bottom prices that they did before as gasoline prices have soared.



It seems to me that Thailands best chance of developing it's position as the regional hub is to offer a fine new airport with exemplary services to all ( as Singapore does) at highish prices. Then if the spaces get filled re-open Dom Muang for budget airlines at budget prices. I suspect it would never happen.



I hate to harp, but it does seem to be a little late in the day to be considering this decision now - two months after the new airport was touted to open.  

The cynical amongst us would suggest that it's a wonderful way for Thai to claw back some domestic traffic from the low cost airlines. After all, who's going to hack their way from Suvhanabhumi (sp?) to Don Muang to save 500bt on their flight to CNX when they've just got off a 12 hour flight from Europe?

As I read it the plan is to have a capacity of 100 million within 10 years, once all phases are completed. Optomism rules!!