Thailand will start developing biofuel for jets to meet demand from 2012, when European aviation regulations calling for green fuel in airplanes take effect, says the Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency Department. “That means Thailand’s international airports should have airplane-compatible biofuel available to serve European airlines,” said Twarath Sutabutr, the deputy director-general. “We want to become the aviation hub for [...]

Thai Airways International Pcl’s board approved a plan for the national carrier to borrow about $550 million to pay for new airplanes as tourists return to Thailand, President Piyasvasti Amranand said. The airline will borrow 17.5 billion baht ($548 million) from four Thai banks, with 12 billion baht of that coming from Bangkok Bank Pcl, the nation’s largest lender. The [...]

Spanish woman arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport with 3kg of ice worth Bt9 million; en route from Ghana to Indonesia. MCOT Update: A Spanish woman was arrested at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport for smuggling 3.1 kilograms of ‘ice’ – crystal methamphetamine, police said Tuesday. Following a tip-off that a drug smuggler will pass through the airport, police Monday afternoon apprehended 52-year-old [...]

ASIAN carriers Thai and Tiger are planning a new airline partnership to to fight growing competition from Qantas owned Jetstar. Publicly owned Thai Airways and Singapore-based Tiger Airways Holdings today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create a new low cost carrier that will trade as Thai Tiger Airways. Tiger’s shareholders were told in a statement that pending regulatory approvals [...]

Sukhoi said Tuesday that it would sell 12 of its Superjets to privately owned Orient Thai Airlines with an option for 12 more. It did not give details on price, but on Monday the company announced a 30-plane deal with Indonesian group Kartika for $951 million. Sukhoi chief executive Mikhail Pogosyan told reporters at the Farnborough Airshow that the company [...]

On Monday Afternoon, we joined a group of foreign tourists and ex-pats who collectively made a Police complaint at Banglamung Police Station regarding a Tour Company based in Naklua. A group of 10 including complainants from Germany, Austria and The Netherlands filed a complaint against the Lee Tours Company located next to the Aksorn School in Naklua. The owner of [...]

Discount airline AirAsia has launched special fares to lift Thailand’s tourism industry in the wake of the bloody political clashes in Bangkok that prompted the Australian government to warn travellers to avoid the capital. AirAsia is offering a limited number of free flights from Bali to Bangkok, and $10 fares from Kuala Lumpur to the Thai capital to entice travellers. [...]

Bangkok – Thai Airways International (THAI), the national carrier, on Friday cancelled all flights to and from Europe due to airspace closures as a result of volcanic activity in Iceland. THAI President Piyasvasti Amranand said that an ash cloud caused by a volcanic eruption in Iceland had forced Scandinavian and northern European countries to disrupt air traffic, prohibiting airlines from [...]

April 6 (Bloomberg) — Qantas Airways Ltd., Australia’s largest carrier, reported its fifth aircraft malfunction since March 30 as an engine power surge forced a London-bound flight to turn back to Bangkok. There was no “safety issue” at any stage as the Boeing Co. 747 can fly normally with three engines, Sydney-based Qantas said in an e-mailed statement today. Engineers [...]

Thai Airways International plans to acquire 15 aircraft from now until 2014 with a budget of 35.5 billion baht ($1.1 billion). Of the 15 aircraft, eight will have a capacity of 350 seats and will be acquired through operating leases for a period of 10 to 15 years, says the airline. These eight aircraft will be operated on long-haul routes, [...]