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Bangkok airways

For nearly four decades, Bangkok Airways has been one of the most widely- respected and acclaimed airlines operating in the dynamic region of Southeast Asia. Today, Bangkok Airways flies to 20 destinations across Asia and is constantly pioneering new routes to exotic destinations. It’s emphasis on trust, commitment, care, knowledge and innovation have enabled the airline to creat a unique identity as Asia’s Boutique Airline.

Bangkok Airways has always believed that the journey should be as enjoyable as the destination. A belief upheld through all aspects of its operations. The distinctive, personalized Bangkok Airways experience sets it apart as a leading regional airline.

Introduction

The origins of Bangkok Airways can be traced back to 1968 and a company known as Sahakol Air, which was initially set an air taxi service operating a Tradewind, a twin-engine, ten-seat aircraft during the Vietnam War. The assignments came from Overseas International Construction Company (OICC), an American construction company known as United States Operations Mission (USOM) and a number of other organizations engaged in oil and natural gas exploration in the Gulf of Thailand.

Today, Bangkok Airways flies to a total of 20 destinations in eight countries: Bangkok, Samui, Phuket, Sukhothai, Pattaya Beach (Utapao), Chiang Mai, Trat in Thailand. In Cambodia, we fly to Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat (Siem Reap). We also fly to Jinghong, Xi'an, Guilin, Hong Kong, Zhengzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhenin in China, Luang Prabang in Laos, Yangon in Myanmar, Singapore and Hiroshima in Japan.

In choosing new destinations, Bangkok Airways invariably considers cities with rich cultures and historically important sites, which are not easily accessible to the everyday traveler. This underlines the airline's commitment to help local tourism industries develop their full potential and to promote the local heritage.

Our departure lounge at Bangkok Airport is equivalent to First Class or Business Lounges at other airports. The difference is our lounge (Domestic Terminal) is available to all our passengers

Background

Bangkok Airways first began air transportation services in 1968—established as “Sahakol Air”, it became the first private aviation company in Thailand. Initially, the airline provided charter services by means of its first operational aircraft, “Trade Wind”, a two-engine 9-seater plane. Regular charter assignments came from the OICC (an American construction company), USOM, and a number of other organizations, which at the time, were engaging in oil and natural gas exploration in the Gulf of Thailand.

Due to the rapid growth of tourism and business investments in Thailand, air transportation has become an increasingly important aspect contributing to both the Kingdom’s economic growth and its infrastructure development into becoming a major destination capable of hosting several million overseas visitors per year.

In order to fulfill the increasing demands for air transportation, Bangkok Airways officially began its operations in 1986 as the country’s first privately-owned domestic airline; initially offering scheduled flights from Bangkok to Krabi, Korat, and Surin. Presently, Bangkok Airways has obtained permits to operate scheduled flights in 20 different major routes—covering nearly all major resort destinations in Thailand. Additionally, the airline has also obtained permits to fly internationally to Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, China, and Japan.

Bangkok Airways has also invested in building and maintaining its own privately- operated airports at Samui, Sukhothai, and Trat. These developments provide Thailand with more air transportation hubs to in order to facilitate increasing air traffic volume.

Bangkok Airways Routes

Over thirty-seven years of operations, Bangkok Airways has maintained not only highly efficient operations and first class service but also ensured that safety is a major priority. The company has obtained permits to operate scheduled flights in 20 major routes, covering nearly all-major resort destinations of Thailand. In addition, the company has also obtained the right to fly internationally to Siem Reap, Phnom-Penh; the capital of Cambodia, Jinghong; the capital of Xishuangbanna region, Xi'An and Guilin in China, Luang Prabang in Laos and Singapore.

In April 1996, Bangkok Airways opened another airport in Sukhothai, the oldest capital city of Thailand, linking the exotic south with the culturally rich north.

Our fleet

Under a two-year plan to improve service and operations, Bangkok Airways has signed a five-year lease with Aero International (Regional) and Aircraft International Renting Ltd.; aimed at standardizing aircrafts used on the airline’s route. The current fleet is comprised of 8 ATR 72-500s, 4 Boeing 717- 200s, and 3 Airbus 320s; each aircraft decorated in different liveries of various exotic destinations.

The ATR 72-200, a joint venture between France and Italy, is impeccably airworthy while providing spacious seating and ample cargo space. This model is currently popular among airlines in more than 65 countries around the world.

Boeing 717-200 is a 120-seater twinjet aircraft intended for short-medium haul flights. Its swift service coupled with outstanding dispatch reliability and low maintenance costs makes it one of the safest aircrafts to fly.

The 162-seater Airbus 320, assembled and delivered from its headquarters in Toulouse, France, provides the added passenger capacity to operate on both longer and dense routes. Its fly-by-wire control system makes it one of the most modern aircrafts to grace the skies.

For queries or requests, contact us at: bangkokair@artoftravel.eu

Art of Travel is the GENERAL SALES AGENT of BANGKOK AIRWAYS for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.