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.jpg) Bangkok AirwaysAirbus A319 inSuvarnabhumi Airport | |||||||
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| Founded | 1968; 57 years ago (1968) (asSahakol Air) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1989; 36 years ago (1989) (asBangkok Airways) | ||||||
| AOC # | AOC.0001[1] | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Hubs | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi Samui | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Flyer Bonus | ||||||
| Fleet size | 23 | ||||||
| Destinations | 20[2] | ||||||
| Parent company | Prasarttong-Osoth Co | ||||||
| Traded as | SET: BA | ||||||
| Headquarters | Chomphon subdistrict,Chatuchak district,Bangkok,Thailand | ||||||
| Key people | Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth (president &CEO) Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth (chairman &founder) | ||||||
| Revenue |  29,418 million baht (2019) | ||||||
| Net income | 351 million baht (2019) | ||||||
| Total assets |  61,908 million baht (2019) | ||||||
| Employees | 3,010 (2019) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Bangkok Airways Public Company Limited (Thai:บริษัท การบินกรุงเทพ จำกัด (มหาชน)) is aregional airline based inBangkok,Thailand.[3] It operates scheduled services to destinations in Thailand,Cambodia,China,Hong Kong,Laos,Maldives, andSingapore. Its main base isSuvarnabhumi Airport in the Thai capital Bangkok.[4]
The airline was established in 1968 asSahakol Air, operatingair taxi services under contract from the Overseas International Construction Company (OICC), an American construction company, the United States Operations Mission (USOM), and a number of other organisations engaged in oil and natural gas exploration in theGulf of Thailand. It began scheduled services in 1986, becoming Thailand's first privately owned domestic airline.[5] It rebranded to become Bangkok Airways in 1989. The airline is owned byPrasert Prasarttong-Osoth (92.31 percent), Sahakol Estate (4.3 percent),Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (1.2 percent), and other shareholders (2.19 percent). At one point, it also wholly owned subsidiary airlineSiem Reap Airways inCambodia.[4]
It built its own airport,Samui Airport on the island ofKo Samui, which opened in April 1989 and offers direct flights between the island andChiang Mai,Hong Kong,Krabi,Pattaya,Phuket, andSingapore.[6] The airline opened its second airport inSukhothai Province in 1996. A third airport was built inTrat Province, opening in March 2003 to serve the tourism destination ofKo Chang.
The airline made its first foray into jet aircraft in 2000, when it started addingBoeing 717s to its fleet. Until that time, Bangkok Airways had flown propeller-driven aircraft, primarily theATR 72. It had also operated theDe Havilland Canada Dash 8, theShorts 330 and for a short time aFokker 100. The carrier added another jet, theAirbus A320, to its fleet in 2004.
Bangkok Airways planned to order wide-body aircraft as part of its ambition to expand its fleet but these plans to expand to the long haul market eventually fell short. It wanted to add its first wide-body jets in 2006 to serve longer-haul destinations such as the UK, India, and Japan and is looking atAirbus A330,Airbus A340 andBoeing 787 aircraft. In December 2005, Bangkok Airways announced it had decided to negotiate an order for sixAirbus A350-800 aircraft in a 258-seat configuration, to be delivered to the airline commencing in 2013, but the order of the aircraft was cancelled in 2011 due to the further delay of the Airbus plane.[7][8]
In 2007, Royal Household Secretary General Kaewkwan Watcharoethai awarded Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth aroyal warrant to display theGaruda emblem.[9]
In 2017, Bangkok Airways received a new Air Operator Certificate, recertified to safety standards set out by ICAO from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.[10]
On 20 November 2024, it was reported that Bangkok Airways will be wet-leasing two aircraft fromAmelia from 1 December 2024 to 29 March 2025 to overcome the shortage of aircraft especially during the upcoming peak tourist season in Thailand.[11]
By late 2024, Bangkok Airways' current jet fleet ofAirbus A319 andA320 aircraft were aging and the airline confirmed that it was evaluating both theAirbus A220 andEmbraer E-Jet E2 jets as possible replacements. The airline will soon put out a request for proposals from the manufacturers for this potential order with deliveries intended to begin around 2028.[12]
For thefiscal year ending 31 December 2019, Bangkok Airways reported a profit of 351 millionbaht on revenues of 29,418 million baht. Its assets were valued at 61,908 million baht.[13] BA lost 300 million baht during the first quarter of 2020, compared with a profit of 500 million baht a year earlier. Earnings have continued to decline due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, and the airline has asked for government assistance.[14] As of 31 December 2019, BA employed 3,010 persons.[15]
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As of June 2024[update], Bangkok Airways flies to the following destinations:[16][17][18]
As of August 2024, Bangkok Airways hascodeshare agreements with the following airlines.
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As of August 2025[update], Bangkok Airways operates the following aircraft:[46]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A319-100 | 11 | — | 12 | 108 | 120 | |
| — | 144 | 144 | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 2 | — | — | 162 | 162 | |
| ATR 72-600 | 10 | — | — | 70 | 70 | |
| Total | 23 | — | ||||
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 42-300 | 1 | 1997 | 2001 | |
| ATR 72-200 | 8 | 1994 | 2006 | |
| ATR 72-500 | 8 | 2002 | 2019 | |
| 1 | 2009 | HS-PGL crashed asFlight 266. | ||
| Boeing 717-200 | 4 | 2000 | 2009 | |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 | 1 | 1989 | 1994 | |
| 1 | 1990 | HS-SKI crashed asFlight 125. | ||
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 | 5 | 1990 | 1996 | |
| Embraer EMB-110P2 Bandeirante | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Fokker 100 | 1 | 1992 | 1993 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 | 1 | 2008 | 2008 | |
| Short 330-200 | 1 | 1992 | 1994 |
Bangkok Airways owns and operates three airports:[47]
On 24 June 2024, Bangkok Airways was voted2024Best Regional Airline in the World bySkytrax, for the 8th consecutive year running.[49]
Bangkok Airways is currently an official sponsor ofChiangrai United,Sukhothai FC,Chiang Mai FC,Trat FC,[54]Lampang FC,Krabi FC,Kasetsart FC,Bangkok Christian College FC andBorussia Dortmund.[55]
Media related toBangkok Airways at Wikimedia Commons
