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Strategic Airlines has lodged an application with the International Air Services Commission (IASC) to allow it to start up to six services per week to Thailand.
The application seeks the equivalent of 4.2 Boeing 747 capacity units on the Thailand route, which would allow it to launch six weekly services with its 274 seat Airbus A330-200. The airline is seeking a five year allocation to allow it to launch services in February 2011, with the capacity to be fully utilised by December 2011.
The request for capacity on the Thailand route comes weeks after Virgin Blue has indicated that its V Australia’s Boeing 777-300ER services from Brisbane and Melbourne to Phuket will cease from February next year. There has been no indication which city in Thailand Strategic intends to serve, but the timing would seem to suggest that it may aim to serve the Phuket market given the timing of the proposed start and the withdrawal of the V Australia’s services there.
Strategic currently operates services from Perth and Port Hedland to Denpasar, while it will start flights from Townsville on December 3. The airline is also currently involved in a three-way competition for more capacity to Indonesia with Pacific Blue and Qantas, which the IASC is expected to rule on in coming weeks.
