Karnataka - Bangalore

Direct flights to Bangkok likely

By Rasheed Kappan

BANGALORE, MARCH 15. Bangaloreans could soon fly direct to Bangkok, five days a week. Thai Airways is expected to start its flights this month-end and join the list of international airlines operating from the city's HAL airport. The flights, which will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, will land in Bangalore between 9.20 p.m. and 9.40 p.m. The Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) has reportedly cleared the flights, highly placed sources told The Hindu . Indian Airlines already operates a flight to Bangkok on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Sources said the Bangalore-Bangkok would take off at about 10.30 p.m. (IST) and reach the Thailand capital at 4.10 a.m. Bangkok time (2.40 a.m. IST)/ The flight, to be operated on Airbus 300, will take four hours and 10 minutes and will mainly cater to transit passengers to and from the U.S. Transit passengers will account for about 40 per cent of the seats. A considerable number of tourists bound for Bangkok are also expected to take the flight.

Across the country, Thai Airways operates 13 flights a week to Bangkok. These include a daily flight from New Delhi and three flights each from Mumbai and Kolkata each week. Thai Airways is planning flights from Bodh Gaya and Varanasi.

The arrival of the flights from Bangkok is likely to increase the burden on the international terminus of the HAL airport. However, the arrival and departure of the Thai flights have been reportedly scheduled before the peak period between 10.30 p.m. and 3 a.m. Most other international airlines operate their flights during this period. Sources said Thai Airways had been insisting on night landing at the airport. But the peak hour traffic was already high to accommodate any more flights after 10.30 p.m. "The problem was with the landing time. The departure time could be postponed," sources added.

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