Nok Air gets new staff and planes

Loss-ridden budget airline Nok Air is recruiting pilots and flight attendants and will acquire two new planes to serve high-season demand as its rehabilitation plan shows positive effects, its chief executive Wutthiphum Jurangkool said on Wednesday.

He said that the airline’s recruitment of about 800 new pilots and flight attendants is evidence that its rehabilitation plan has been effectively implemented and has strengthened its financial status.

Apart from staff recruitment, the airline would acquire two new aircraft to add to its 22-plane fleet by the end of the year.

Mr Wutthiphum added that Nok Air will launch direct service between Bangkok (Don Mueang) and Hiroshima, Japan. It has increased domestic flight frequencies from three to four daily on the Don Mueang-Buri Ram route and from four to seven flights a week on the Chiang Mai-Ubon Ratchathani route.

Nok Air’s passenger load factor stood at 88% in the first half this year, down from 91% year-on-year because of the reduction in aircraft numbers from 28 to 22, he said. The reduced fleet saw flight and passenger volume in the second quarter drop by 10.3% and 8.18 respectively.

Nok Air reported a loss of 470 million baht in the second quarter, down from a loss of 742 million in the same period last year, and a net loss of 751 million for the first six months, down from a loss of 774 million year-on-year.