Thai Airways to Fly Phuket – Seoul Route

Thai Airways International is to introduce a non-stop service between Phuket and Seoul Incheon next month, becoming the fourth operator to offer flights between the two destinations. The carrier will inaugurate a three times weekly link from November 1 using an Airbus A330-300.

The route is already served by Korean Air (daily), Asiana Airlines (six times weekly), with the sole Thai operator being Business Air, which this winter will offer three flights per week. An estimated 340,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year and Thai Airways already accounts for around nine per cent of these passengers with its one-stop service via Bangkok, although this fell from a 14 per cent share the previous 12 months, due in part to Business Air’s arrival on the route.

Asiana Airlines is currently the largest operator on the route with a 39 per cent share of the market, just ahead of its local rival Korean Air, which has a 38 per cent share. In the past year O&D passenger traffic has decreased by around 5.1 per cent and worryingly yields have fallen as average one-way fares have declined by 4.5 per cent to $298.