Air India – now under the Tata’s has announced a new destination. The airline which changed hands in the middle of the pandemic has invested in getting old planes back in the air, taking in older planes with better products and ordering 470 aircraft. The airline also returned to its erstwhile destinations in Europe and added frequency and new points within its existing network, but had not started a new destination yet. The airline will launch flights to Phuket starting December 15, 2023. This is the first of the four new destinations which are to go live by the end of March 2024.
AI378 DEL0110 – 0710HKT
AI379 HKT0810 – 1050DEL
The flights will be operated by the A320neo with dual class comprising 12 Business and 150 economy class seats. Flights start with four times a week service with operations on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sundays and become daily from January 08, 2024.
The announcement comes at a time when Thailand has announced a Visa free regime for Indian nationals which will last up to May 2024 and is likely to see traffic go up to Thailand from India. India is the fourth top source market for tourism in Thailand with the first three being Malaysia, China and South Korea.
The market
IndiGo is the sole carrier in the India to Phuket market where it operates 14 weekly flights, seven each from Mumbai and Delhi. Interestingly, Go FIRST was the first to make the move and launch non-stop flights to Phuket from Delhi and Mumbai as part of their inaugural international routes in 2018. IndiGo soon joined the party.
Over 5,000 passengers flew non-stop each way between India and Thailand in the April to June quarter this year. There remains a significant number which goes beyond Thailand as connecting passengers as well as passengers who fly via neighbouring points like Kuala Lumpur.
Air India’s recent interline arrangement with Bangkok air already covers Phuket, the non-stop flight will make the offering stronger, with the ability to club multiple destinations in Thailand and offer better group deals. Air India currently operates a total of 26 flights to Bangkok per week with daily non-stop flights from Delhi and Mumbai and six flights in a week from Kolkata.
Delhi is the largest airport in India and the largest hub for Air India from where its primary international operations are based along with domestic hub. Phuket is a major tourist attraction and the third busiest airport in Thailand, with the first two serving Bangkok.
Beyond the visa free Indians to Phuket
The flights to Phuket are largely being looked at from the lens of visa free travel for Indians and traffic from Delhi. However, there is more to it. Phuket is a popular destination and amongst the top 10 source markets for Thailand are Germany, UK and the USA. There are no direct flights to Phuket from these three countries, barring seasonal charters from the UK. The traffic transits via Middle eastern carriers like Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, Gulf Air or Oman air or on Thai Airways – which has been facing financial headwinds.
Network Thoughts
There never is a spoke too many and adding Phuket as a new destination from Delhi, adds another spoke to the Delhi hub for Air India. With IndiGo the sole operator on the route, Air India will provide another option to the passengers and more importantly help connect London to Phuket.
The timings may not be optimum just yet for a two way connection to its entire European bank, but come next year – additional flights to Phuket or additional flights to Europe will help overcome this challenge. The most interesting thing would be to see how Air India and Vistara spread flights to Frankfurt, Paris and London.
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