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Thai Airways to start Mumbai-Bangkok services

Ashwini Phadnis

NEW DELHI, Sept. 17

THAI Airways International is to start a thrice-a-week service on the Bangkok-Mumbai-Bangkok sector from October 30.

The airline plans to use an Airbus A-330-300 aircraft for the service which will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The flight is to depart from Bangkok at 7.35 p.m., arrive in Mumbai at 10.30 p.m. and depart from Mumbai at 11.50 p.m. and arri ve back at its home base at 5.30 a.m.

Thai Airways, at present, operates a daily service on the Bangkok-Delhi-Bangkok sector besides having regular services to Kolkata. The airline was given Mumbai as the additional point of call in 1999.

``The flight is a Thai Airways International flight. We have no code-share agreements with Air India,'' the airlines spokesperson, Charlene Suddhimondala, told Business Line from Bangkok.

The airline had been planning to start the service since late last year. Thai Airways officials had indicated to Business Line in December last year that there was enough traffic on the India-Thailand sector for the airline to offer double daily services from Bangkok to both Delhi and Mumbai.

As the airline views India as a medium-haul destination, it has taken a decision to operate aircraft which can offer upwards of 300 seats in each direction on its flights from and to India. Thai officials said that the new service would offer seats in tw o sections -- Royal business class and economy class.

The Mumbai-Bangkok route is currently served by Cathay Pacific and AI and the introduction of the new flight is likely to see competition intensifying on the sector. Observers point out that the recent decision of Indian Airlines to operate a daily servi ce on the Delhi-Bangkok sector saw air fares on the route plunge southwards.