Mini-me: SGA Airlines adopts Nok livery

The Nok Mini livery that will appear on one of SGA Airlines’ two Saab 340Bs

The times they are a-changing for SGA Airlines … not only has the Thai carrier announced plans to deploy two larger aircraft but it will also expand its network and undergo a rebranding.

The Thai privately owned carrier will lease two Swedish twin-engine Saab 340B turboprop planes from a Singapore-based firm, when it embarks on new domestic feeder services in December.

SGA Airlines will rebrand itself as Nok Mini to establish closer ties with Nok Airlines, the budget carrier in which Thai Airways International (THAI) owns a 39% stake.

Nok Mini will become a sub-brand of Nok Airlines whose management agreed to allow SGA Airlines to use the marque for free in order to expand the alliance's profile as well as to complement each other's network.

Over the past few years, the two airlines have loosely collaborated on a number of joint marketing programmes. 

"Our association with Nok Airlines in the past three years has been fruitful and we decided to take it to another level," said Jain Charnnarong, the president of Siam General Aviation Co, which operates SGA Airlines.

SGA Airlines has already been dubbed "Nok Lek", or Junior Nok, by the travelling public, Mr Charnnarong said.