Anyone flying around Asia a few years ago may remember Asia Atlantic Airlines. This was a short-lived Thai charter airline serving mainly routes between Thailand and Japan with a small fleet of Boeing 767 aircraft. It started with ambitious expansion plans in both fleet size and routes but never realized these. It ended operations in 2018 after just over five years in service.

Starting charter operations in 2013

Asia Atlantic Airlines was formed in December 2012 but did not start flight services until August 2013. It was a Thailand-registered airline. The airline was a joint venture between Japanese travel agent H.I.S and Thailand-based hotel group Baiyoke Group.

It targeted the leisure and holiday markets within Asia, operating from two hubs at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Tokyo Narita International Airport. The first routes between Thailand and Japan were set up to take advantage of new visa waiver rules for Thai tourists visiting Japan and the expected increase in tourism this would bring.

With its links to Japanese travel agent H.I.S, the majority of customers initially were Japanese flying to Thailand, but the hope was that the number of Thai customers would increase too. The airline initially served Bangkok to both Narita and Osaka Kansai International Airport, but later expanded to several more Japanese locations.

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One of Asia Atlantic Airlines' two 767-300ER aircraft. Photo: Chihaya Sta via Wikimedia Commons

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Boeing 767 fleet

The airline started service in August 2013 with two leased Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. The first of these, with registration HS-AAC, entered service in 1992 with Continental Airlines. It went on to fly with Avianca from 2007 and then with Asia Atlantic Airlines from 2013. This is based on data from ch-aviation.com.

The second aircraft, with registration HS-AAB, was first delivered to Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) in 1990. It went on to fly with Icelandair from 2004 to 2008, and later GOL Linhas Aéreas before moving to Asia Atlantic Airlines.

In an interview with the Bangkok Post in 2013, the airline president Bobby Haque explained his ambitious plans for expansion. The plan was then to lease one new aircraft every six months to eventually reach a fleet size of 100 aircraft. This never happened, and the airline only ever operated these two initial 767s.

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The carrier was never able to expand beyond Asia. Photo: Alec Wilson via Wikimedia Commons

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Expanded service but never moved out of Asia

The airline expanded its service over its five years of operation around the core aim of linking Thailand and Japan. It added service from Bangkok to several more Japanese cities (although Tokyo and Osaka remained the core focus). It had ambitions to add other destinations, including China and Korea, but didn't manage this, apart from flying to Shenyang in China.

The airline initially intended to serve destinations further afield. In the Bangkok Post interview, its president explained how the name "Asia Atlantic Airlines" referred to its ambition to operate from Asia further afield around the Atlantic. He indicated intentions to fly to destinations including Hawaii, Guam, and potentially into Europe. This never happened, though, and the airline stuck to its Asian roots.

After stopping service in 2018, one of its 767s (HS-AAC) moved to US private charter company Landry's. It stayed with the company until August 2021, before joining iAero Airways in January 2022. It remains there today, flying on behalf of the Houston Rockets NBA team. The second aircraft was scrapped in 2020.

What do you make of Asia Atlantic Airways' short history? Did you ever fly with this carrier? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Source: Bangkok Post