PBair: The Airline Owned by a Beer Company
In 1990, a new carrier emerged in the Thai aviation industry. This is the story of PBair.
In 1990, a new carrier emerged in the Thai aviation industry. This is the story of PBair.
DALLAS — If you've ever been to a Chelsea Football Club Game (UK), the Motorcycle Grand Prix, or a Formula 1 (F1) race with the Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen, then you might've heard of Singha Beer.
Founded in 1933 by the Boon Rawd Brewery, the Thai beer company, known for its emblem of a mystical golden lion, emerged as Thailand's first producer of premium lager. But somewhere in between its humble founding and becoming a sponsor for global sports events, the Boon Rawd Brewery operated a commercial and charter airline for 19 whole years!
In 1990, a new carrier emerged in the Thai aviation industry: PBair. Named after the Boon Rawd Brewery's President, Dr. Piya Bhirom Bhakdi. The airline initially started flights for its brewery staff only. In 1995, it gained a license from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) to operate charter flights and started operations in 1997.
In February 1999, PBair started to fly scheduled flights to a variety of domestic destinations within Thailand and international destinations in Southeast Asia. PBair's website stated its goal was to "provide safe, fast, and private flight[s] all over the region."
In the same year, the airline partnered with Thai Airways International, Air Andaman (now defunct), and Bangkok Airways. PBair also launched a frequent flyer service called "Saen Sabai," which in Thai translates to "very comfortable."
Due to financial difficulties in November 2009, the airline announced that all operations would be suspended until further notice. In December of the same year, Boon Rawd Brewery announced that PBair would be shut down due to heavy financial losses. On December 21 of that year, PBair announced its official closure of the CAAT and said it would not restart the airline.
As mentioned above, PBair flew only in Asia, with a focus on Southeast Asia. Over the course of its 19 years of operation, the airline initially flew from Bangkok Don Mueang Airport (DMK) but switched to Suvarnabhumi. PBair flew to:
Although PBair was a regional charter and commercial airline, it operated a diverse and irregular fleet of aircraft from Airbus Boeing, Fokker, ATR, Embraer, and Dornier. In October 2003, the airline announced it would only operate Embraer and Boeing aircraft from then on.
Throughout its 19 years of operation, it operated one long-haul aircraft and several short-haul aircraft, which included:
Featured image: A PBair ERJ145 taxiing at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi in 2006. Photo: Ken Fielding, CC-BY 4.0 via Wikimedia
