Thai Lion Air is flying between Udon Thani and U-Tapao four days a week again, restoring a route it had cut back, nine days before Udon Thani opens an international horticultural expo that runs until March.
The flights go on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Udon Thani to U-Tapao leaves at 11am and lands at 12.20pm, and the return leaves at 1.15pm and lands at 2.35pm.
U-Tapao serves Pattaya and Rayong and is the airport most visitors to the eastern seaboard use.
The airline has not published fares for the restored service, and passengers are told to check with it directly because the schedule may change again.
Thai Lion Air opened the route on June 11 last year as the first airline to take up a transport ministry scheme that halves landing and parking charges for a year on a new domestic route. The Department of Airports ran it to push carriers towards provincial airports.
Flight tracking sites listed it at two a week through the middle of this year, which is the reduction the airline is now reversing.
Udon Thani Airport was given international status in September, which lets it take foreign arrivals directly rather than routing them through Bangkok.
The horticultural expo opens on November 1 and runs to March 14.
Thai AirAsia has also put more flights into Udon Thani for the season, from Don Mueang, Chiang Mai and Phuket, and tied the additions to the expo and the high season with discounts of up to 30%. Thai Lion Air has not said why it is restoring its own.
U-Tapao is picking up routes at the same time, with a Hua Hin service from EZY Airlines due to start today.
Passengers should confirm the days and times with Thai Lion Air before travelling, since the schedule on this route has already changed since it opened.
In similar news
- Udon Thani Airport officially gains international status
- Hua Hin-U-Tapao flights begin October 23 with EZY Airlines
- Udon Thani set to host first wetland horticultural expo
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