On May 21, 2020 Japanese LCC Zipair applied for permission to operate cargo-only flights between Tokyo Narita and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport 4 times weekly starting from June 3, 2020.
The carrier was previously supposed to enter medium and long haul LCC market with scheduled passenger services to Bangkok, Seoul and the US. Unfortunately the current situation of COVID-19 pandemic has restricted the airline from starting passenger services due to record-low demand and travel bans imposed by governments.
In a statement Zipair’s president Shingo Nishida said:
“Unfortunately, in light of the current situation, we are not able to launch passenger flights to Bangkok. As people around the world find new ways to promote their businesses, we decided to take a step forward by temporarily launching cargo-only flights between Japan and Thailand.”
Previously, Zipair was aiming for a launch of passenger services from Tokyo Narita to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi starting May 14. The airline was to operate Boeing 787-8 aircraft on the route received from its parent airline Japan Airlines.
Zipair is a Japanese LCC focusing on medium and long haul services operating from its hub at Tokyo Narita Airport. Japan Airlines launched the carrier to challenge prominent low cost airlines in Asia like Scoot and Jetstar.