Thai Airways

Thai Airways is increasing its presence in KWI-Kuwait in a very bold manner by launching 5 weekly nonstop terminator flights using their premium aircraft i.e. a 3 class configured Airbus A 340-600 which seats 267 pax. No more will flights will be flown to KWI via DXB . This is in effect from April 2009.
The flight timings are as follows:

TG 519 Dep BKK 1300 Arr KWI 1635
TG 520 Dep KWI 1820 Arr BKK 0555+1

With regards to Dubai, effective April 2009, frequencies will be increased from 10 weekly to double daily flights. All will be operated with a 2 class A 333 and out of those 14 flights, 4 are flown via MAA -Chennai, India with full 5th freedom traffic rights.

Analysis:

What TG will be targeting in KWI with their A 346s is varied. Obviously the top priority will be O&D business and leisure traffic that exists between the 2 states but most of all, it will aim to get the high yielding F & J class flying business and political traffic bound via BKK to Australia, China, TPE, Japan, HKG, ICN, SGN, MNL aggressively.They will pitch to the local agents how good their in-flight product is compared to KU's A 343s which fly KWI-BKK-MNL (6 times per week) + how superior their FFP program is versus KU's + all the excellent connections they have on offer eastwards via BKK.

One feels that TG has more to gain with a nonstop BKK-KWI-BKK 5 weekly service than SQ does with a 4 weekly B 772 flying SIN-AUH-KWI service. TG will be offering one stop flights via BKK to any where in Australia/Far East Asia where as SQ will be a more inconvenient 2 stop option using an older B 772 which will probably not have the new F and J class in-flight product. On this route as well, TG will get a lot of cargo to/from South Korea, China, HKG, TPE and Japan as KWI is the gateway to Iraq and has good trade links with these countries.