Nok Air resumes operations at Don Mueang

Chief executive officer Patee Sarasin said the company was ready for 80 flights a day. However, resumption of flights to Buri Ram and Narathiwat will be postponed.

He said he was “very happy” as everything was back to normal, adding that Don Mueang was very convenient for the airline. The load factor here is expected to rise to 90 per cent from 80 per cent at Suvarnabhumi.

He said Nok Air expected to see 5 million passengers this year, up from 4 million last year.

At Suvarnabhumi, the airline faced limited facilities such as a lack of check-in counters and shuttle buses. 

The result was long check-in queues for passengers and some flight delays, Patee said. 

He said 2012 would be a good year for the company. The carrier will move ahead with its business plans, especially improving service to make passengers more comfortable. For example, Nok Wi-Fi will offer free wireless Internet connections for passengers before boarding time, and it will open enough check-in counters to shorten queues. However, it will not get into a price war with other airlines. 

Patee said the company was interested in starting regional flights, but needed more time to study this option seriously. It is not easy to go regional at a time of rising fuel costs. 

Also, the competition is very high, with the large number of airlines, both premium and low-cost.