Bangkok Airways at 60: The aviation legacy of Dr Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth

Following the passing of Dr Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth at the age of 93, attention has again turned to a business empire that stretched far beyond hospitals. Alongside Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, the private healthcare giant he founded, one of his most distinctive creations was Bangkok Airways, an airline business that grew from a small aviation unit into one of Thailand’s best-known premium carriers.

According to Bangkok Airways’ corporate history, Dr Prasert began the aviation business in 1968 as a department under Krungthep Sahakol Co., Ltd., a company he owned. In 1984, the airline business was transferred into Sahakol Air, which later became Bangkok Airways. The carrier launched scheduled services under the Bangkok Airways name in 1986, marking the start of its formal journey as Thailand’s first privately owned domestic airline.

Its first scheduled flights operated on January 20, 1986, serving routes from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, Surin and Krabi using 18-seat Bandeirante EMB-110 aircraft.

From there, the business steadily expanded. In 1989, the airline opened Samui Airport, a move that would become one of the defining bets of Dr Prasert’s career. Bangkok Airways’ own company profile says the carrier also launched its Bangkok-Samui service that year and received the airline code “PG” from the International Air Transport Association.

That decision to build Samui Airport proved transformational.

At the time, Koh Samui was still in the early stages of becoming an international tourism destination. By establishing Thailand’s first privately owned airport there, Bangkok Airways gave itself something competitors did not have: direct control over a highly strategic destination.

Over time, Samui became the airline’s crown jewel, helping define its network and commercial identity. The company later built two more airports, in Sukhothai and Trat, extending its distinctive aviation footprint beyond a conventional airline model.

Bangkok Airways sharpened that identity further in 2004, when it adopted the slogan “Asia’s Boutique Airline”. T

he branding was more than marketing. It reflected a survival strategy in an era when low-cost carriers were flooding the market and fighting on price. Rather than trying to match them head-on, Bangkok Airways chose to compete through destination selection, service and exclusivity, including access to privately operated airports and value-added touches such as boutique lounges for passengers. The slogan and broader company profile are reflected in the airline’s official materials.

The business also evolved institutionally over time.

Bangkok Airways was registered as a public company on February 27, 2013, and listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand on November 3, 2014.

The Prasarttong-Osoth family has remained central to the business. Bangkok Airways’ shareholder filings show Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth as the company’s largest shareholder, while Dr Prasert remained one of its major shareholders and was listed by the company as founder and chairman of the board.

That succession is now especially visible in the aviation arm of the family empire. Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, Dr Prasert’s eldest son, serves as president of Bangkok Airways and has taken a leading role in the next phase of expansion.

The airline plans to begin work in the second quarter of 2026 on an upgrade of Samui Airport, aimed at increasing passenger capacity to 6 million a year, raising the number of boarding gates from seven to 11, expanding commercial space to 4,000 square metres and increasing check-in capacity, with completion targeted for 2030.

Trat Airport is also being developed. Its runway expansion to 2,000 metres has already been completed, while work on a taxiway and three aircraft parking bays is under way to support jet aircraft such as the Airbus A320. Puttipong has said he wants Trat to grow in the same way Samui once did, from a lightly used airport into a more vibrant tourism gateway.

The group’s biggest aviation bet, however, lies beyond Bangkok Airways’ own route map.

The U-Tapao International Aviation project and Eastern Aviation City development is emerging as one of the most ambitious undertakings tied to the family’s aviation interests.

Bangkok Airways now holds 40% of U-Tapao International Aviation Co Ltd, with BTS Group holding another 40% and Stecon the remaining 20%. The project was expected to move towards a notice to proceed in early April after a long delay.

Even so, Bangkok Airways is approaching its core airline business cautiously.

The carrier’s strategy for 2026 is to preserve an appropriate business scale and fleet size rather than chase aggressive expansion at the expense of profitability. The company is focusing on routes that generate the strongest returns, while maintaining flexibility in a volatile operating environment. That tone also fits with the airline’s latest public positioning: Bangkok Airways says it currently serves more than 20 destinations across Thailand and Asia, while continuing to emphasise service quality over sheer scale.

For many Thai travellers, Bangkok Airways became synonymous with boutique service and island routes. For business historians, though, its deeper significance may lie elsewhere: it was the expression of Dr Prasert’s willingness to build infrastructure, shape demand and invest ahead of the market. In doing so, he did not just create an airline. He helped redraw part of Thailand’s tourism and aviation map.