Regional carrier Thai Smile is a fully owned subsidiary of Thai Airways. The regional carrier, which was introduced in 2011 when such a carrier was required, focused on low-cost regional missions.The industry was severely impacted by the pandemic. It compelled firms to alter their operations significantly in order to streamline, improve efficiency, and reduce losses. Thai Airways has undergone a restructure as a result, and the corporation will now focus on business consolidation.
According to reports, Thai Smile operates far too few planes to be profitable at this point, especially with equipment utilization at an all-time low. It only uses a fleet of A320-200 aircraft, which have an average age of 9.3 years. As it has been determined that the activities are not profitable, Thai Airways will consider incorporating the brand into its regular fleet.
As a result, the 20 A320-200s operating under the Thai Smiles banner will transfer to Thai Airways, where they would be used for similar-sized missions. The goal is to boost utilization to a level where flying an airplane is advantageous.The Thai Smile brand has been phased out while Thai Airways undergoes restructuring because it would be more advantageous for customers to do so.
There are routes operated by Thai Smile all around Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and India. It provided just over 3,000 flights during April, according to Cirium data. Bangkok to Chiang Mai was second in terms of prominence after Bangkok to Phuket. Bangkok to Phnom Penh was the company’s greatest gainer, increasing from 60 flights in April 2022 to 120 in April 2023.
