Thai Smile To Fly Direct To Kota Kinabalu From Bangkok

By Mohd Haikal Mohd Isa BANGKOK, March 15 (Bernama) -- Thai Smile Airways, a subsidiary of Thai Airways, will start its Bangkok-Kota Kinabalu direct flights on March 26, 2017 in another effort to expand its international route. Thai Smile Acting Chief Executive Officer, Capt Woranate Laprabang, said Kota Kinabalu was a popular tourist destination in the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean). "The route is considered to be one of our strategic priorities in the Asean region," he said at the ceremony to launch the direct flights here Tuesday. Woranate said the airline would use Airbus A320-200 aircraft for the flights and would offer the passengers Premium Economy Class, Smile Plus Class and the Smile Class. He said Thai Airways and Thai Smile would increase their international routes in the future in an effort to boost the company's growth. Thai Airways Assistant Executive Vice-President (Commercial), Wiwat Piyawiroj, said the airline would act as the distributor and marketer for the flights, while Thai Smile would act as the flight operator. "We strongly believe this cooperation will bring comfort to the passengers travelling to various cities. "The route will bring about sustainable and profitable growth for both airlines," he said. Meanwhile, Tourism Malaysia Director for Thailand and Myanmar, Abdul Haris Hadi, said Mount Kinabalu offered a number of tourist attractions, such as the Kinabalu National Park. "The visitors can also climb South-East Asia's highest peak, Mount Kinabalu, or cruise along the Klias River to see the proboscis monkey, he said. He said last year, Malaysia attracted 1.47 million Thai tourists, a 34.4 per cent increase from 1.09 million in 2015. -- BERNAMA