BANGKOK, 26 March 2024 - AirAsia continues to expand its international network and make the most of visa free travel between Thailand and China by introducing direct flights from Bangkok-Don Mueang to Beijing, China. The daily flight is now available for booking at special promotional fares starting from only 3,990 THB.

With a five-hour flight, the route enables travelers from Thailand to explore Beijing, a city that harmoniously combines history and modernity while serving as a gateway to the Great Wall of China, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Fly direct at great fares and on-time with AirAsia by booking this 26 March-7 April 2024 for travel from 1 July 2024 onward at AirAsia MOVE (formerly airasia Superapp) or via airasia.com.

Ms. Tansita Akrarittipirom, Head of Commercial for Thai AirAsia, pointed out that on top of AirAsia’s strength domestically, where it maintains the highest market share, the airline also views the international market as key to its leadership and is making sure it has an extensive network through ASEAN, India, South Asia, Japan, and the North Asian market especially China.

In 2023, Thai AirAsia flew in over 600,000 Chinese travelers to Thailand, or 18 percent of all Chinese tourists to the nation, according to statistics from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. With the visa free policy between Thailand and China kicking off 1 March 2024, travel between the two countries has increased remarkably, providing an opportunity for the airline to introduce the Don Mueang-Beijing route for the first time. The route serves both Chinese tourists and Thai travelers looking to visit the grand city of Beijing by being the only Thai-operated flight connecting Don Mueang Airport and the Chinese capital.

“Beijing is a popular destination for Thai travelers and we have seen a consistent demand from travelers for the Chiang Mai-Beijing route that we launched earlier. Being our 12th direct connectivity between Thailand and China, I am confident Don Mueang-Beijing will be equally, if not more, popular. It gives various groups of travelers including history and art enthusiasts as well as tech lovers who can indulge into China’s technological advancements”,” Ms. Tansita said.

Since the start of 2024, Thai AirAsia has seen rapid growth among its China routes, with a Load Factor average of 93 percent during the first two months (January-February). The introduction of visa free travel on 1 March further supported this growth, especially in terms of Thai travelers to China. In March alone, Thai visits to China are expected to grow by 200 percent from January (prior to the visa free policy) before continuing throughout the year until Thai AirAsia serves up to 1.3 million passengers in 2024, up 27 percent from 2023.

“AirAsia expects to fully recover in 2024, especially in the China and international markets. We are working closely with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to attract more Chinese tourists to the nation and most recently launched the Boarding Pass Privilege campaign for foreign visitors, presenting those holding an AirAsia boarding pass to enjoy various privileges and discounts from 18 campaign partners that will make their stay in Thailandan even more fun and worthwhile. At the same time, Thai travelers can choose many travel options from our extensive and diverse networkespecially to China, where we operate 12 routes. Everyone can find a new and impressive experience by flying with us.”

Thai AirAsia connects Thailand and China on 12 routes, flying Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Changsha, Chongqing, Kunming, Hangzhou, Shantou, Wuhan, Xi’an, Shanghai and soon Beijing starting 1 July 2024. AirAsia operates the most connections between Thailand and China with up to 101 flights a week.