Photo Credit: Bangkok post file
Thai Lion Air intends to receive at least two Boeing 737 aircraft this year, aiming to expand its flights to popular destinations such as China and Japan. However, due to a decline in foreign and Chinese tourists, the airline’s total fleet will be smaller than the previously planned 40 jets.
Aswin Yangkirativorn, the airline’s CEO, stated that despite a decrease in foreign arrivals from last year, Thai Lion Air is increasing its seat capacity to meet demand during the upcoming high season. He expressed optimism about Thailand’s tourism recovery and noted that fleet expansion plans have been adjusted in line with overall tourism growth.
Since the start of the year, Thailand’s tourism industry has faced numerous challenges, leading to a year-on-year decline of over 7% in arrivals. Nonetheless, the Chinese market remains the largest source of inbound travelers.
Currently, Thai Lion Air operates a fleet of 30 single-aisle Boeing 737 aircraft, including 21 B737-800s and nine B737-900ERs. The airline expects to receive at least two additional B737-900s by the end of the year, with plans to add 4-5 more aircraft next year to support new destinations.
In the final quarter, the airline will introduce four new international routes: Bangkok-Hokkaido via Kaohsiung, Bangkok-Osaka via Taipei, Bangkok-Chongqing, and Bangkok-Tianjin. It also plans to boost capacity on domestic routes, expand to Delhi, and explore new markets such as South Korea.
Nuntaporn Komonsittivate, head of commercial at Thai Lion Air, shared that the airline aims to restore services to 10 Chinese cities, eight in India, and five in Japan, along with 17 domestic routes by the end of 2025. She added that Chinese routes are bolstered by a growing number of Thai passengers, who now make up 50% of travelers—up from 30% before the pandemic.
With a current fleet of 32 aircraft, Thai Lion Air forecasts carrying 7-8 million passengers this year, a significant increase from 4-5 million in 2024 when operating 25 aircraft. Nevertheless, this number remains below the pre-pandemic level of over 10 million passengers, primarily due to slow recovery of flight capacity to Chinese cities, which had over 20 routes before the pandemic.
Mrs. Nuntaporn mentioned that the airline has no plans to acquire wide-body aircraft like the A330 and intends to continue relying solely on Boeing planes. She highlighted that popular routes to Japan are performing well with narrow-body aircraft.
Despite intense fleet expansion among Thai carriers, Mrs. Nuntaporn believes seasonal fare wars are unlikely in the fourth quarter. Instead, competition will focus on service quality and punctuality rather than discount pricing.