Emirates Airlines, the Middle East's largest carrier, will introduce a fourth daily service to Bangkok next month.
An Emirates A380 superjumbo is unloaded at Suvarnabhumi Airport, where the airline is adding more capacity on its Bangkok route.
The additional daily flight to Bangkok, which is part of the carrier's two-month Asia-Pacific expansion plan to tap peak travel demand, will begin on Dec 2.
With the fourth flight, the Dubai-based airline will offer the largest capacity between Thailand and the Middle East.
Emirates is already using four high-capacity wide-bodied jets on the route, including the A380 superjumbo that can carry 488 passengers.
The additional flights would support Thailand's economic recovery by increasing tourist arrivals from Dubai and the Middle East, said Richard Jewsbury, senior vice-president for commercial operations for the Far East and Australasia.
The extension of visa fee exemptions for Thailand until March 2010 is expected to generate more tourist traffic, he said.
Cargo will also receive a push, said Mr Jewsbury.
Thai exporters of electronic parts, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and perishables, and importers of automotive and machine parts, medical equipment, chemicals and chilled foods stand to benefit from the additional 161 tonnes of capacity per week per direction on the route, he said.
Emirates insiders said the airline hoped to sustain the fourth Bangkok flight, at least until the end of the current air traffic programme that ends in March.
The airline is also expanding its footprint in Asia-Pacific with a third daily service to Sydney, two additional flights to Manila and one to Jakarta.
A total of 17 flights per week will be added over the four cities, including Bangkok, between December and January, representing a 13% growth in seat capacity. The number of flights throughout the Asia Pacific will increase to 187 flights per week.
The airline more than doubled its profit for the six months through Sept 30 to US$204.9 million, from $77.4 million in the same period a year earlier.
From Bangkok Post
