New airline startup Tigerair Taiwan has made a successful debut in Thailand after launching its new routes to Bangkok and Chiang Mai over the weekend.
A joint venture between Taiwan’s China Airlines and Singapore’s Tiger Airways, the carrier launched its maiden flight from Taiwan to Singapore last month, and said it is confident the new Thailand services will prove popular.
The first Bangkok flight was sold out on a 180-seat A320 jet and Tigerair will run one round trip service every day from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
The airline is offering one-way tickets starting at an introductory rate of NT$1,988 to Bangkok and NT$1,688 to Chiang Mai.
Taiwan’s largest carrier China Airlines holds a 90% stake in the joint venture and recently said a third A320 jet due for delivery early next year, will enable it to support expansion into Korea and Japan.
Rival carrier TransAsia, Taiwan’s third largest by market share, is planning to launch its own budget subsidiary by the end of 2014 and will also serve the Thailand market.
