The Malaysian affiliate of the fast-growing Indonesia-based budget airline has just added into its growing network a couple of routes to neighboring Thailand.
Last September 11, Malindo Air launched its once-daily service between Kuala Lumpur's Subang Airport and Krabi in Thailand. A day later, it launched another route to the same Thai destination but this time, it originates from Penang.
Krabi is the capital of the Krabi Province in the southern region of Thailand. It is located along the Andaman seaboard on the shores of Phang Nga Bay where the Krabi River empties. In addition to its extensive coastline harboring beautiful beaches, the province is also known for its many national parks that straddle across meandering rivers, lush valleys, and scenic mountains.
The twin routes from both Penang and Kuala Lumpur will be serviced by ATR 72-600 turboprops.
Currently, Malindo Air has no competition on the Kuala Lumpur-Krabi route, and therefore enjoys a monopoly as a result. On the Penang-Krabi route, however, the airline has to compete with Firefly, which also launched its own inaugural thrice-weekly service on the same day.
Malindo Air is a joint venture between Lion Air of Indonesia and Malaysia's National Aerospace and Defence Industries.
The low-cost airline was founded in 2012 and commenced commercial operations in March 2013. To date, it operates a route network of 23 destinations, half of which are international. Its current fleet consists of six B737-900ER jetliners and ten ATR 72-600 turboprops.