Bangkok Airways is preparing for an increase in tourism fueled by the worldwide success of HBO’s popular show “The White Lotus” by considering the acquisition of as many as 30 new planes.
The CEO of Thai airline Bangkok Airways, Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, has announced plans to acquire at least 20 new airplanes from major producers like Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer during the initial six months of this year. A further purchase of around ten more aircraft could potentially be made later. The company’s aggressive growth strategy seeks to update their present fleet of 25 jets, many of which have been in service for twenty years or longer. Bloomberg reported.
"The White Lotus," Filming its third season in Koh Samui is expected to substantially increase tourism in Thailand. Being the operator of Samui Airport, Bangkok Airways intends to undertake a major refurbishment costing ฿1.5 billion ($44.6 million). This upgrade is planned for the latter part of this year with the aim of handling higher passenger volumes effectively. Bangkok Post reported.
The airline has already seen a 14% increase in advance bookings for the usually quieter second quarter. Moreover, passenger numbers heading specifically to Koh Samui are expected to climb by as much as 20% from the previous year’s figures.
The Thai government anticipates approximately 40 million tourists visiting the country this year, benefiting Bangkok Airways as they aim to accommodate a historic number of 4.7 million travelers, an uptick from last year’s figure of 4.3 million. In response to rising passenger numbers, the carrier has gained permission to boost their daily flight operations to 73 departures per day, up from their present schedule of 50 flights each day.
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