AirAsia Berhad : Czech PM and AirAsia in Talk for Possible Direct Flight to Thailand

BANGKOK - Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Andrej Babiš, joined a meeting with AirAsia's senior management led by Thai AirAsia Executive Chairman Tassapon Bijleveld, AirAsia X Group CEO Nadda Buranasiri and Thai AirAsia CEO Santisuk Klongchaiya to discuss potential plan for a direct flight route between Thailand and the Czech Republic.

This has given an exciting opportunity in light of data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating that estimated 50,000 Czechs visit the Kingdom each year while a similar number of Thais also travel to the Czech Republic, despite no direct flights servicing between the two countries at the moment.

The meeting took place at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok on January 17, 2019 as part of the premier's visit to Thailand from 15-17 January 2019 to discuss closer ties and improved economic cooperation between the two countries with Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha.

Nadda Buranasiri, Group CEO of AirAsia X, a region's leading long-haul low-cost carrier, said the airline was honoured to have received an invitation from the Czech PM to discuss the direct route. Thai AirAsia X (code XJ) is interested and currently studying the feasibility of direct flights from Thailand to Europe, especially to the city of Prague in the Czech Republic, one of the European Union's most consistently growing nations in both investment and tourism aspects. A new connection would also provide diplomatic opportunities and open up the Czech Republic to all of Southeast Asia.

Thai AirAsia X (code XJ) is a Thai-registered long-haul low-cost carrier operating Airbus A330 aircraft. It currently operates direct flights from Thailand to the east Asian nations of Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Nagoya); South Korea (Seoul); and China (Shanghai). The airline plans to develop and expand its network of routes throughout 2019 and set its sights on both Europe and Australia to support economic, tourism and investment growth.