Bangkok Airways confirmed the timetable for a new service linking Bangkok and Danang effective 25 May.
The airline will offer four flights a week using an Airbus 319.
Previously set for a launch 16 May, the service will begin 25 May. Flights will depart 1100 and arrive at Danang International Airport 1235.
The return flights will depart Danang at 1335 and arrive in Bangkok at 1515.
The service will operate on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday using a 144 Economy class seats on an Airbus 319.
The now defunct PB Air, owned by a member of the Boonrawd brewery family, served Danang for two years during the early 2000s, but was forced to pull out after suffering heavy losses.
Viettravel offered some direct charter flights from Danang to Bangkok using a Vietjet aircraft. Package tours were sold to Vietnamese tourists.
According to Vietnam’s BizHub, Danang attracted just 700 Thai tourists last year, hardly enough to justify Bangkok Airways establishing a scheduled service.
But Thailand is attracting considerable interest as a shopping destination for Vietnamese, particularly Bangkok and Pattaya.
Bangkok Airways is popular with international tourists who fly to Thailand on PG’s codeshare partner airlines and use the Thai airline to fly to neighbouring countries. It was promoting the Danang route to its European tour operator partners and codeshare partner Air Berlin at last week’s ITB.
European tour operators sell tours that combine a stay in Thailand with extended trips to Vietnam. Having an airline link to the central Vietnamese city of Danang will make it easier to build itineraries featuring Hoi An and Hue and the major gateways Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
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