The Thai capital, Bangkok, will now once again welcome a new airline hailing from the pearl of the east, Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan’s newest airline, Qanot Sharq Airlines is a full-service carrier, ready to service the two capitals of Tashkent and Bangkok with 1 flight per week.
The airline will deploy its latest aircraft, the Airbus A321neo. In fact, the flight flew for the first time on the 27th of February, with registration of UK32110.
Its schedule to Bangkok shows:
HH2211: Tashkent (TAS) 0845 – Suvarnabhumi (BKK) 1015 on a Monday
HH2212: Suvarnabhumi (BKK) 1015 – Tashkent (1525) 1525 on a Monday
Thailand & Uzbekistan
Before the pandemic, traffic between the two countries was healthy, as Uzbekistan Airlines flew to Bangkok on a regular basis with the 767-300ER.
As of now, the Uzbek flag carrier Uzbekistan Airlines is yet to return to Bangkok, and Qanot Sharq Airlines is capitalising on this route alone.
Qanot Sharq is somewhat familiar with the Thai market as last year, the airline operated in Phuket on November 3rd.
The opening of the Bangkok route allows Thais and Uzbeks alike to travel between the two countries to enhance trade, cultural and economic ties.
Thailand is becoming a popular tourist and business destination for central Asians, including Kazakhs and Uzbeks. This new link will allow Uzbeks to explore Thailand at an affordable price.
Strategy
Bangkok is one of the world’s most sought-after destinations for Eastern Europeans, Russians and Central Asians for summer and sunny getaways.
The airline flying to Moscow and a handful of central Asian countries meant that the airline will have an abundance of passenger capacity flying the Bangkok route, also given that the airline flies to the Thai capital once per week.
Qanot Sharq is a viable option for those travelling between Thailand and Russia, for instance. Whether the airline will expand more into the Thai market is yet to be seen.
Most likely new destinations for Thailand includes U-Taphao/Rayong Airport and Krabi Airport, with both destinations a hit for Central and Eastern European, and Russian tourists.
About Qanot Sharq Airlines
Currently, the airline owns and operates 4 Airbus aircraft – 2 A320s and 2 A321neos. The airline flies to regional destinations within Uzbekistan, including Samarkand.
It also operates flights to international destinations, including Moscow, Istanbul, Dubai, Medina, Sharjah and Almaty. Phuket and Bangkok are proud to be on the list of the ever-growing destination the airline flies to.
Qanot Sharq has been in the Uzbek aviation scene for decades, operating mainly for cargo ACMI’s for Uzbekistan Airlines, with the IL-76 cargo.
However, the airline rebranded and ‘restarted’ its passenger operations with the A320. The airline is set to challenge Uzbekistan Airlines in the Uzbek market and routes to and from Uzbekistan. The former Soviet country has not seen competition in the air market, and Qanot Sharq is now providing just that.
