Nok Air suspends new domestic route in Thailand after just six weeks

Nok Air has temporarily suspended all Chiang Mai – Korat flights just six weeks after the route’s inaugural flight on August 2. The suspended route was the only commercial flight going in and out of Isaan’s Nakhon Ratchasima Airport, which is now a ghost town and at risk of closing again.

The service had high potential, linking the capital of the North to Nakhon Ratchasima – aka ‘Korat’ – in northeast Thailand, which otherwise takes 10.5 hours to drive. The route looked promising when 86 passengers boarded Nok Air’s Q400 NextGen turboprop aircraft for the inaugural flight last month.

As time went on, passenger numbers depleted and the airline started making losses. Some flights had only nine passengers on board. Nok Air said that their fleet needs some repairs this month and the airline doesn’t have enough aircraft to facilitate all their routes.

The airline made the financial decision to scrap the Chiang Mai – Korat route for the time being but plans to reopen the service in future when they figure out how to entice more passengers.

Commercial flights at Nakhon Ratchasima airport reopened last month after years of suspension due to low demand for seats. The airport reopened especially for Nok Air’s Chiang Mai – Korat route, flying on Saturdays and Tuesdays for a price of 2,100 baht one-way.

Now, the airport is at risk of closing again. Today, the governor of Nakhon Ratchasima province and representatives of the public and private sectors gathered at Nakhon Ratchasima City Hall to discuss how to stimulate commercial air travel in and out of Korat. Chief Executive of Nok Air Wuttipoom Churankun joined the meeting via video call.

In the past, several airlines have set up and withdrawn their Korat routes including Thai Airways, Air Andaman, AirAsia, Air Phoenix, Happy Air, Thai Regional Airlines and Kan Air.

If Nok Air doesn’t reinstate the Chiang Mai – Korat route as planned, then they will become the 10th airline to terminate services at Nakhon Ratchasima airport.

SOURCE: KhaoSod