Leading Tour Operators Believe In Phuket

[IMG=20891-6724]In the coming winter season for the first time Thailand will welcome only scheduled flights (Aeroflot, Thai Airlines and Transaero), experts in the Thai market said in the interview to a BANKO correspondent. Air traffic volume provided last winter by KrasAir and S7 Airlines (two flights per week by A-310 and Boeing – 767 correspondingly) was ‘transferred’ in favour of Transaero. Thus, the main partner of KrasAir, Biblio-Globus, preferred to bank on Transaero. They offered more favourable terms of co-operation, confirmed Alexander Tugolukov. We remind you that lack of concrete information regarding KrasAir and Biblio-Globus plans provoked uncertainty of forecasts for the season. In the middle of August experts forecasted a considerable excess of flights to the destination. By September plans for Thailand became clearer and forecasts – more optimistic. Thus, the majority of flights will be operated by Transaero as it was forecasted. In season 2005 – 2006 the airline operated three weekly flights to Bangkok, one – to Utapao and one – to Phuket, while a number of flights operated to Bangkok will double in the coming season. Given no flights by KrasAir and S7 Airlines, excess of flights to Bangkok is not expected. Thus, Dmitry Chichkanov, Senior Manager of the Thai Department of Skyway, said: ‘the demand for Thailand is high from the middle of August. September flights are practically fully booked’. Furthermore, Transaero plan to increase a number of flights to Utapao – three weekly flights, and to Phuket – two weekly flights. Experts believe that the increase will be compensated by the growing demand for the destination. It is interesting that one of the programs to Phuket – consolidated by TEZ TOUR and Natalie Tours - will be launched in October. This means that leading travel market players have returned to the destination. Tatiana Frolovicheva, the Head of Air Service Department of TEZ TOUR, said: ‘Last year we did not have direct flights to Phuket owing the consequences of Tsunami’.