Thai Airways International has announced an ambitious expansion of its India operations, with plans to add new destinations, increase flight frequencies, and deploy its latest Airbus A321Neo aircraft across key Indian cities, according to chief executive officer Chai Eamsiri.
Currently, the airline operates 78 flights per week connecting eight Indian cities with Thailand. This number is set to rise to 100 weekly flights during the current year, driven by additional frequencies to major metros including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata.
New Indian Destinations Planned
As part of its winter schedule, Thai Airways is planning to launch new services from India to Bangkok from Amritsar, Jaipur and Kochi. The airline is also evaluating the launch of flights from Pune starting next year.
“We have ambitious plans to put more capacity in India,” Eamsiri said, highlighting the growing importance of the Indian market for the airline.
Deployment of A321Neo Aircraft
Thai Airways is scheduled to receive 16 Airbus A321Neo aircraft this year. These next-generation narrow-body aircraft will feature lie-flat business-class seats and are aimed at enhancing passenger comfort on medium-haul routes.
The airline plans to deploy the A321Neo on services to Hyderabad starting July, Ahmedabad in August, and Kolkata, Mumbai and Bengaluru from September onwards.
Strong Tourism and Traffic Growth
India continues to be a key source market for Thailand, supported by strong people-to-people ties and Thailand’s popularity as a tourist destination. Air traffic between India and Thailand has increased by around 15 per cent compared to last year.
Thailand welcomed 32.9 million foreign visitors last year, including 2.48 million travellers from India. India emerged as the third-largest source market after Malaysia and China. While Chinese tourist arrivals declined last year, Thailand continues to see significant long-term potential from China.
China Market and Network Expansion
China remains an important focus area for Thai Airways. The airline earlier operated around 80 flights per week to China, which was reduced to 42 flights. However, signs of recovery are emerging.
“We are seeing signs of traffic growth from China, and we will put more flights as we receive new A321Neo aircraft,” Eamsiri said.
Thai Airways also noted growing transit traffic, with an increasing number of Indian passengers travelling onward to China via Bangkok. While Australia remains the largest onward destination for Indian travellers on the airline’s network, connections to East Asia are gaining traction.
Future Route Plans
Looking ahead, Thai Airways plans to further strengthen its long-haul network and is aiming to launch flights to Auckland by the end of this year, expanding connectivity for both Indian and international passengers through Bangkok.
