Nok Air : DD : NOK :

Thai Airways International plans to transfer more domestic routes and three [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-400s to its low-cost carrier Nok Air.
"They already have three [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] 737-400s from us and we will be putting three more into Nok," Thai executive VP commercial Pruet Boobphakam told ATI on the sidelines of the Assocation of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] meeting in Singapore.
Thai has also transferred its two ATR 72-500s to Nok, says Pruet.
He says Thai plans to transfer more domestic routes to Nok and cites, as an example, Bangkok-Udon Thani.
This is a very popular route that Thai operates [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] A300s on.
It is mostly frequented by Thais and relatively few tourists.
Boobphakam says Thai wants to retain a strong presence on domestic trunk routes where there are a lot of foreign tourists transiting.
It is important that Thai be able to serve foreign tourists, he says, adding that Thai will retain a strong presence on the Bangkok-Phuket and Bangkok-Chiang Mai routes.
Boobphakam also says Thai wants Nok and its partner SGA Airlines to move onto PB Air's routes.
PB Air is a privately-owned carrier that operated on six domestic routes but recently suspended all its operations.
Nok and SGA Airlines announced earlier this year they are teaming up to introduce [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] domestic flights to Thailand.
Boobphakam says it is important for Thai that Nok and SGA be successful otherwise the Thai Government might ask Thai to serve these small routes as a matter of national service.
Thai also wants Nok to succeed because Thai has a large minority stake in Nok.
Boobphakam says Thai would be interested to increase its stake in Nok.
But would want it to remain below 49%, he adds

Dublin, 29 September 2010

Dublin based lessor, AWAS, has delivered a Boeing 737-400 to Nok Air, headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand.

The aircraft will operate on domestic routes in Thailand.

“We already have six 737-400s and are continuing to expand our fleet through cautious and targeted growth in areas where we know we can continue to be profitable.

The economics of the 737-400’s in the current market makes it the obvious choice for a low cost, consumer centric business like ours,” said Patee Sarasin, CEO of Nok Air.

“This is the first time we have worked with AWAS and we have been satisfied on many levels with their understanding of our market and their ability to tailor a solution to our needs.”

Ray Sisson, President & CEO of AWAS, welcomed Nok Air to the growing number of AWAS customers in the Asia Pacific region “This region is a key focus for AWAS, our Asia Pacific team brings a wealth of experience and local knowledge to our customers and it is this insight that keeps our customers coming back.”