Summary
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Photo: BoeingMan777 | Shutterstock
Air India is increasing flights to Phuket due to high demand, adding a second service from June 1.
- The new flight schedule allows for a convenient morning departure from Delhi to Phuket, enhancing the passenger experience.
- Apart from expanding into Southeast Asia, Air India is also aiming to make inroads into Japan with a new codeshare agreement with ANA.
Air India is doubling down on its flights from Delhi to Phuket after seeing strong demand for the service. The airline already operates a daily flight on the sector and will soon add six additional weekly flights as it looks to expand its presence in the Southeast Asia region.
More flights to Phuket
Air India has announced that it will start operating a second service between Delhi and Phuket in Thailand starting on June 1. This service will be in addition to Air India’s daily flights already in operation between the two destinations.
Photo: BoeingMan777 | Shutterstock
The carrier has planned the second flight strategically, offering passengers a convenient late-morning departure from Delhi and helping to link guests arriving from Europe with the popular beach destination. Air India first launched a service to Phuket four times a week in December 2023. Just a month later, it turned this into a daily service and will now operate almost double daily flights between Delhi and Phuket.
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Flight schedule
Currently, Air India has a daily Delhi-Phuket flight that leaves at 02:05 early in the morning and arrives at 08:10 in Phuket. The return flight leaves Phuket at 09:15 and arrives in Delhi at 12:20. But from June 1, the carrier will have additional flights on all days of the week except Wednesday as per the following schedule:
|
Flight no. |
Days of operation |
Sector |
Departure |
Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AI376 |
Daily except Wednesday |
Delhi-Phuket |
11:00 |
17:15 |
|
AI377 |
Daily except Wednesday |
Phuket-Delhi |
18:15 |
21:20 |
Apart from Delhi-Phuket, Air India also deploys its aircraft on the Delhi-Bangkok and Mumbai-Bangkok sectors. With the additional flights to Phuket, the carrier will now operate 34 weekly flights to Thailand from both cities.
The India-Thailand sector is extremely busy, with multiple airlines competing for passengers. Vistara, Thai Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo, and Thai AirAsia, among others, all fly between the two countries to cater to an ever-increasing demand.
Photo: kbp.spotter | Shutterstock
In Phuket, IndiGo currently has the maximum service from India, connecting Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru with daily flights. The carrier also has multiple flights to Bangkok from various Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bhubaneshwar. In all, there are more than 2,300 return flights between India and Thailand in May alone, according to data by Cirium Aviation Analyst.
Other Air India news
Air India is not only looking to make further inroads in Southeast Asia, it aims to go as far as Japan. The airline recently signed a codeshare agreement with All Nippon Airways to provide more travel opportunities for customers of both airlines.
Air India will add its ‘AI’ designator code on ANA’s flights between Tokyo Haneda and Delhi as well as Tokyo Narita and Mumba. All Nippon Airways will add its ‘NH’ designator code on Air India’s flights between Tokyo Narita and Delhi.
Photo: Sundry Photography | Shutterstock
Furthermore, according to a recent report by The Economic Times, Air India and Vistara are also trying to speed up their merger process. The initial estimate to finalize the deal was sometime next year, but people familiar with the matter say that the new management is keen to complete it as soon as possible, possibly by the end of this year.
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Air India
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- AI/AIC
- Airline Type:
- Full Service Carrier
- Hub(s):
- Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport
- Year Founded:
- 1946
- Alliance:
- Star Alliance
- CEO:
- Campbell Wilson
- Country:
- India
- Region:
- Asia
