News
Thailand continues to see the decrease of domestic fares
December 5th 2025
Average domestic ticket prices in Thailand continued to decline this year, as low-cost carriers fled from underperforming Chinese routes to add domestic flights and avoid competition with state-backed Chinese airlines, the Bangkok Post reports. Read More » Bangkok Airways’s average airfare in the third quarter decreased by 2.2% to 4,115.3 baht (US$128) year-on-year, while over the first nine months of this year, average fares fell 1.1% to 4,178.9 baht. Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, Bangkok Airways president, said yields for domestic routes plunged due to enormous supply. In the first nine months of 2025, Bangkok Airways posted a revenue dip of 0.1%, attributed to reduced fare income of 405 million baht, down 2.9%. Thai AirAsia registered a drop of 12% for average airfares to 1,633 baht in the third quarter, due to weak demand from foreigners for both international and domestic trips. The average domestic airfare of Nok Air is 1,300 baht year-to-date, a year-on-year drop of 5%. Wutthiphum Jurangkool, former chief executive of Nok Air, told the Bangkok Post that many airlines struggled to secure a healthy load factor for Chinese routes. Several airlines also increased capacity from new aircraft deliveries, which were planned before the downturn in tourism, he said. These jets were redirected from foreign to domestic flights to enhance their existing fleet. Even though Chinese travellers are expected to return to Thailand as a result of its recent rift with Japan, which saw hundreds of thousands of seats from China cancelled, Chinese airlines should benefit much more than Thai carriers, he added. “Given a weak Chinese market and strong Chinese competitors, many low-cost carriers reduced or cut services to China, paving the way for stronger domestic routes. This resulted in overwhelming supply and lower airfares in the third quarter,” he explained.
