OSAKA - Japanese budget carrier Peach Aviation Ltd. plans to launch its first routes to Southeast Asian countries, possibly in the fall, Chief Executive Officer Shinichi Inoue said Wednesday.

"Looking at five or six years down the road, the (potential) growth in (the markets of) Southeast Asia will be huge," Inoue said in an interview with Kyodo News, referring to ongoing arrangements to fly to destinations such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok.

Peach, partially owned by All Nippon Airways Co., intends to attract more tourists from Southeast Asia to Japan, Inoue said.

The airline will start operating the Southeast Asian routes from Naha airport, its first international flights to depart from and arrive in the southern island prefecture of Okinawa.

Inoue also said the budget airline is considering launching flights connecting Naha with Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Peach currently operates five domestic routes to cities such as Sapporo and Fukuoka and three international routes to Seoul, Hong Kong and Taipei from its home base at Kansai airport in western Japan.

==Kyodo