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BANGKOK: Thai budget carrier One-Two-Go, whose McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft crashed on the Thai resort island of Phuket on Sunday killing 89 people, was the kingdom's first low-cost airline.
Majority-owned by Thai carrier Orient Thai, One-Two-Go began operating in 2003, and was officially awarded a low-cost license last year, its vice-president Kajit Habanananda said.
Neither One-Two-Go nor Orient Thai, which has been operating for a decade, have crashed before, Kajit told AFP.
One-Two-Go has 14 rented aircraft in its fleet, including the one that crashed in Phuket. Eight are McDonnell Douglas MD planes, while the company also operates Boeing 747s.
The MD-82 that crashed in bad weather coming in to land in Phuket on Sunday had been in service for 12 years, while the carrier's other aircraft have been operating for between eight and 20 years, Kajit said.
Thailand's Civil Aviation Department reports that One-Two-Go operates 42 domestic flights daily from Bangkok. Phuket is one of the major destinations, serviced five-times-a-day.
Other destinations include Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat.
The carrier also flies internationally, with daily scheduled flights to Tokyo and Hong Kong.
One-Two-Go carries over 300,000 international tourists a year and up to 800,000 Thais. It has about 100 pilots among a total staff of 860.
It is one of three Thai budget carriers, competing with Thai Air Asia and Nok Airlines, which is owned by flag carrier Thai Airways.
Roughly five million people a year fly with budget airlines in Thailand. - AFP/ac
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