Flydubai commenced the first budget airline service between Bangkok and Dubai yesterday.
The maiden flight from Dubai airport touched down at Suvarnabhumi to set in motion the Dubai-based carrier's scheduled twice-daily service to Bangkok on board Boeing 737-800 jets.
Bangkok was chosen for the airline's Southeast Asia debut to provide a new travel option on the city pair, which has long been dominated by Emirates, the giant full-service carrier from Dubai. Emirates offers six daily flights between Bangkok and Dubai, with four of them operated by A380 super jumbo jets.
Flydubai chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith said the airline's role is to complement other airlines serving Bangkok and Asean.
Flydubai flies to 90 destinations in 44 countries across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent with over 1,700 flights per week. The airline expects an average load factor of 85-90% for the Bangkok route.
Mr Al Ghaith said the airline expects to increase the frequency of its Bangkok services and start serving other Thai cities in the future. Phuket is likely the next Thai destination for Flydubai, said Sudhir Sreedharan, senior vice-president for commercial operations.
To drum up market demand, the airline is offering promotional fares on Bangkok-Dubai below those of Emirates. The economy round trip fare, inclusive of 20 kilogrammes of baggage allowance, a hot meal and taxes, is 5,982 baht. Business class fare is 17,982 baht, inclusive of 30kg of baggage. Both offers are valid until Dec 20.