Briefs
Exports under FTAs worth more than $52 bn last year
The value of exports under Thailand’s free-trade agreements last year exceeded US$52 billion (Bt1.82 trillion), up 3.82 per cent from 2015, according to Department of Foreign Trade director-general Duangporn Rodphaya.
This figure was 56.47 per cent of the $92.907-billion total value of items entitled to enjoy FTA benefits.
The value of Thai exports under the Asean Free Trade Agreement last year was $21.498 billion.
Budget airfares may get cheaper
Passengers of low-cost airlines might find their tickets getting even cheaper after a cost-structuring formula is revamped.
Currently the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) caps ticket prices at Bt13 per kilometre. This same cap is applied to full-service as well as budget carriers, despite the differences in their basic services.
Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said after a meeting of the Civil Aviation Board on Thursday that he had instructed the CAAT to bring fares into line with real operational costs.
“The CAAT should separate the structure of the low-cost airlines’ tickets from that of the full-serviced airlines,” he said.
CAAT director Chula Sukmanop said that separating the low-cost airlines’ cost structure from that of full-service carriers would bring down budget airlines’ fares.
“The new ceiling for the low-cost airfares should be revealed by the middle of this year,” he said.
NokScoot aims for more than 1m travellers in 2017
NokScoot Airline Company, a joint venture between Nok Air and Singapore-based Scoot, expects to serve more than 1.1 million international passengers this year, a 40-per-cent increase over last year, said chief executive officer Piya Yodmani.
The International Air Transport Association awarded NokScoot IATA Operational Safety Audit certification last month, which strengthens the airline’s global safety image and acceptance among international organisations.
NokScoot operates medium-to-long-haul routes from Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport with Boeing 777-200 aircraft. It currently flies to Nanjing, Qingdao, Tianjin, Shenyang and Dalian in mainland China, and to Taipei, Taiwan.
Superblock looks abroad, targets revenue of Bt9-Bt10 bn
Superblock, a diversified producer of lightweight blocks for the renewable-energy business, has targeted its revenue this year to range from Bt9 billion to Bt10 billion, up from actual revenue of Bt3.8 billion last year.
This year will see the company expand more into solar farms abroad, especially in China and Japan, with a target of 1,000 megawatts – up from a total of 20MW currently – via joint-venture and takeover platforms, said chairman Khumsup Lochaya.
Superblock now holds a total of 779.9MW in power capacity.
Last year, Superblock posted Bt522.21 million in net profit, up by 164 per cent from 2015, on revenue of Bt3.8 billion, up by 829 per cent.
