Anawat Leelawatwatana, Senior Vice President – Finance and Accounting at Bangkok Airways Public Company Limited (SET: BA), revealed that bookings for September to December 2025 across all routes have increased by over 4% compared to the same period last year.
Routes to and from Samui Airport recorded a notable 7% growth, while domestic routes remained stable from the previous year. International routes, however, declined by 3%. Based on these advance booking figures, BA estimates that its operating performance for the second half of 2025 (July–December) will be similar to the same period of the previous year.
Recently, BA revised its 2025 performance forecast, projecting passenger numbers at 4.3 million, down from the previous estimate of 4.7 million passengers. The average load factor is now expected at 78%, a 2% decrease from the original projection, due to weakened travel demand.
Nevertheless, BA remains confident in maintaining its EBITDA margin at 25%, as previously projected. The company acknowledges that 2025 net profit will decline year-on-year but expects the drop will not be significant.
Anawat further stated that, at the end of 2Q25, BA operates a fleet of 23 aircraft, with plans to increase to 24 by year-end. The additional aircraft will be sourced via an ACMI lease (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance), with the lessee paid based on the hours flown.
Regarding the Samui Airport development plan, BA is currently in the design phase and plans to submit the design to relevant authorities for approval in Q4 this year. Construction is expected to commence afterward, with a timeline of approximately two years and an investment budget of around THB 1.5 billion.
The improvement will increase the number of boarding gates from 7 to 11, add 10 more check-in counters, and expand commercial space from 1,900 square meters to 4,000 square meters.
Previously, Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, CEO of BA, indicated that, once the Samui Airport development is completed, the airport alone (excluding other routes) could accommodate 4 million passengers per year—doubling from the current level of about 2 million passengers annually. Samui Airport remains the primary income source for BA, accounting for 70% of total revenue and serving 11 domestic and international routes.
