TIGER Airways has aborted plans to launch a new regional budget carrier together with Thai Airways International (THAI), due to its failure to obtain the necessary approval from Thai authorities.

“As a result, Thai, Tiger Airways and Ryanthai (a proposed partner with links to Irish budget airline RyanAir) have decided not to proceed with the incorporation of Thai Tiger,” the carrier said in a statement.

Tiger Airways and THAI first revealed their intentions to set up the new airline in August last year (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 2).

Meanwhile, VietJet Air, the proposed partner of AirAsia in its failed attempt to tap the Vietnamese market, has launched independent operations, and will offer four-daily Ho Chi Minh City-Hanoi services on a 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft.

The airline was due to operate as VietJet AirAsia, but AirAsia allowed its interest in VietJet to lapse after regulatory approval was denied for its proposed joint venture (TTG Asia e-Daily, October 13).

VietJet Air is planning to launch Ho Chi Minh City-Danang flights in early 2012, with a Hanoi-Danang service and flights to South-east Asian destinations expected to follow by middle of next year.