FOR THE EXPAT IN ALL OF US! ISSUE 438 28th July 2017
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air asia flights to kuala lumpur could start by end of 2017
•The• news late last week that Air Asia has applied to operate daily flights between Hua Hin and Kuala hua hin
Lumpur came too late for our last issue, but is welcome news for the town should it become a reality. Earlier this year the local hotels association urged for the development of the airport and routes available, and it seems as though they are going to get what they pushed for, although it remains to be seen firstly whether the Thai airports authority approves the application, and secondly whether the demand will be there for the service. There are, of course, some concerns for residents; while it is only likely to be one flight a day, those living under or near the flightpath may be inconvenienced by noise, and the other main issue could be the potential for increased traffic around departure and arrival times. These would, however, be a bigger concern should this route be successful and extra flights and additional routes are added as a consequence, and the trade off between increased prosperity for the town and those negative potential impacts would be much harder to justify. Having said that, more domestic flights to destinations like Phuket, Trat and Hat Yai would be welcomed by most residents we believe. There have been two previous attempts to operate international flights to and from Hua Hin, the last one being Berjaya Air in 2012, who also flew for a short time to Subang airport in Kuala Lumpur. Several domestic routes have also come and gone, so whether this route will succeed is not guaranteed, and Air Asia also want landing fees and rental charges for airport facilities waived in the initial stages of operation to get the route started, which indicates some caution on their part. A decision is expected on the application within the next ten days, and if approved, flights could begin by the end of the year.