Summary
- IndiGo is increasing its presence in Thailand by adding two flights to Phuket, a popular destination for Indian travelers seeking winter beach getaways.
- The airline will connect India to Thailand 56 times a week with the new flights, offering more options for Indian passengers.
- IndiGo’s international expansion has been significant, with the addition of 20 routes in the last few months, including destinations in Central and Southeast Asia, and Africa.
Indian low-cost carrier, IndiGo, will soon increase its presence in Thailand by adding two flights to Phuket in the coming weeks. One of them is an addition to the existing Mumbai-Phuket service, while the other is a resumption of service from Bengaluru that was previously dropped. These flights come at a time when Indians increasingly look for travel options to popular beach destinations in the winter months.
Flights to Phuket
IndiGo has announced that it will start a new flight between Mumbai and Phuket as well as bring back its Bengaluru-Phuket service in January and February, respectively. Thailand is one of the most popular international destinations for Indian travelers, and IndiGo is likely to attract many passengers with these flights. Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales, IndiGo, commented,
“Thailand has always been amongst the sought-after destinations known for its tropical beaches, shopping, entertainment, and ornate temples. With the addition of these flights, IndiGo will connect India to Thailand 56 times a week; taking our weekly flights between Mumbai and Phuket to 13 and Bengaluru and Phuket to 6.”
Flight schedule
IndiGo’s additional flight between Mumbai and Phuket will start on January 5, and the service resumption from Bengaluru will take place on February 28. The airline will have the following schedule for these flights:
Flight no. | Origin | Destination | Frequency | Effective | Departure | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6E 1121 | Mumbai | Phuket | Daily except Tuesday | January 5 | 19:15 | 01:05 |
6E 1122 | Phuket | Mumbai | Daily except Wednesday | January 6 | 02:05 | 05:10 |
6E 1939 | Bengaluru | Phuket | Daily except Tuesday | February 28 | 04:00 | 09:10 |
6E 1941 | Phuket | Bengaluru | Daily except Tuesday | February 28 | 10:30 | 13:00 |
Currently, there are only two Indian airlines that have non-stop flights between India and Phuket. On top of IndiGo’s daily Phuket service from Mumbai, the airline also has daily flights to the popular Thai beach destination from New Delhi.
Photo: JEERAPAN JANKAEW | Shutterstock
But IndiGo’s dominance in Phuket will now be challenged by Air India, which will start four weekly flights from New Delhi starting December 15 and increase the frequency to daily from January. Per Cirium, there are 235 return flights between India and Phuket in January 2024, which also includes a bunch of Thai Lion Air flights from Mumbai and Bengaluru.
International expansion
IndiGo’s international footprint has increased significantly in the last few months. While it continues to generate a bulk of its revenue from domestic flights, it has also embarked on an aggressive international expansion lately.
The airline has added 20 international routes in the last several months, including both new services and flight resumptions on some sectors. Its expansion to Central and Southeast Asia as well as its entry into Africa, has been of particular focus this year. IndiGo now has Jakarta, Nairobi, Almaty, Tashkent, Baku, and Tbilisi as part of its network.
Photo: ANAND G IYER | Shutterstock
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Sydney, Perth, and Brisbane will be added to the list in the coming weeks.
Its partnership with Turkish Airlines has been quite fruitful, with IndiGo now offering codeshare connections via Istanbul to several Europeans and a bunch of US destinations. There have also been reports that the carrier could introduce a premium class on some of its Airbus A321 aircraft, possibly to be more competitive in the international sector, particularly with Air India gaining more strength in recent times.
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