Fly Delhi to Phuket direct
THAI Airways International introduces THAI Smile service providing direct connectivity to Phuket from Delhi and Mumbai. reports more…
PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA Going
to Phuket from Delhi or Mumbai? Now, you no longer need to take a detour from Bangkok. After almost 53 years of service to the Indian mar- ket, THAI Airways International is launching its new service – THAI Smile – providing direct connectivity to Phuket from Delhi and Mumbai. The airline will operate twice a week from the two Indian cities. It will depart from Delhi every Tuesday and Friday at 01:55am, and from Phuket, it will leave for Delhi at 10: 05pm every Monday and Thursday. The Mumbai flight will leave every Thursday and Sunday at 2:20am, and from Phuket, it will leave for Mumbai at 10:30pm every Wednesday and Saturday.
With a seating capacity of 168 seats, the aircraft boasts of two classes – 12 seats in Smile Plus (Business Class) and 156 seats in Smile Class (Economy Class).
“As a budget airline, THAI Smile is providing all services of THAI Airways,” said Korakot Chatasingha, General Manager, India, THAI Airways International.
Pinki Arora, Marketing Representative, North and East India, Bangladesh and Nepal, Tourism Authority of Thailand, who was also present on the occasion, said that the direct flight to Phuket was a much-anticipated one as Indians love travelling to the beach destination, which is also a favourite for weddings. She added that as more and more Indians travel to Thailand the country has now become a year-round destination for all, attracting all segments of travellers – from MICE, honeymooners, leisure to families.
Ravi Talwar, the Area Sales Manager of Thai Airways International, said that for the first month, they have been booked almost 80%. China
Southern Airlines plans to increase its Delhi services to double daily and introduce the modern Airbus A332 aircraft to the busy India runway, as part of a raft of exciting changes on the airline’s Canton Route to the World. From the summer schedule, China Southern hopes to add three additional Guangzhou to Delhi flights, lifting the total to 14 per week.
“The airline has been in India for five years now. From seven weekly frequencies to 10, we anticipate that in the summer season, we will increase frequency to double daily flights. We are awaiting a confirmation from the civil aviation authorities for traffic rights and will hopefully launch new flights from April 1,” says Guo Zhiqiang, Chief Marketing Officer and Director GeneralCommercial Steering Committee, China Southern Airline. The airline has had a load factor of 80 per cent from Delhi and is now looking at expanding services to Mumbai. “We are observing the Mumbai market and then take a decision on it,” he adds. “We launched the Canton route, connecting Asia with Australia, Europe and America,” he adds.
Over 50 per cent of the passengers from India are transit at present. The airline also receives about 60 per
Zhiqiang also met with the Tourism Secretary Parvez Dewan and discussed collaborations to promote the DelhiGuangzhou routes. Zhiqiang further highlights, “There are four important reasons to choose China Southern Airlines; our new aircraft, the best services offered (including Indian food) onboard, smooth transition facilities provided, and the shortest connection time to Australia and North America.”