Competition in Thailand’s domestic LCC sector intensifies further as Thai Lion, Nok & AirAsia expand

Thailand's domestic market has become a major battleground for three of Southeast Asia's leading low-cost carriers. Thailand's domestic LCC sector recorded passenger growth of over 30% in 2014 and could see similar growth in 2015.

But the growth has come at the expense of yields and profitability as all players have had to lower fares to compete. The outlook for 2015 remains relatively bleak as the price wars have continued.

Thai Lion has been the main provocateur, pursuing rapid expansion since launching services at the end of 2013. But Nok and Thai AirAsia have also been expanding rapidly, leading to overcapacity.