Thailand’s newest cargo airline, Pattaya Airways’ maiden voyage took place on Aug 21 when flight PTW822 departed Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok at 6am and landed in Phuket at 8:15am before returning to the capital just after midday on the same day.
To celebrate the occasion, Governor Sophon welcomed senior officials and field and commercial operations staff at Provincial Hall at 10am yesterday.
The new route has great opportunity to boost Phuket’s economy and is an important step in elevating Thailand’s logistics and supply chain potential, remarked Governor Sophon.
Having taken delivery of an ATR 72-500 freighter (MSN745) and ATR 72-500F (MSN742) aircraft from Ireland-based lessor ACIA Aero Leasing in May, the cargo airline received confirmation of its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) on Aug 1.
The company aims to become the leader in safe, innovative and high efficiency freight transportation to support business growth in various industries, including manufacturing, retail and healthcare.
The original plan was to launch in Q4 of this year, although this has now taken place ahead of schedule. The airline plans to add to its fleet in the coming years so as to operate a range of domestic flights in Thailand with additional services into neighbouring South East Asia.
The aviation arm of the Bangkok-headquartered Pattaya Group was founded in 2015 and has grown to become a major ground handling service provider in Thailand, explains Air Cargo News.
The company offers a range of airport services, including passenger handling, flight operations, ramp services, cargo services, aircraft cabin cleaning, lounge services, GSE services and private/charter flights.
It has not been confirmed how frequent the Bangkok to Phuket cargo flight will be.