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VietJet Thailand has spread its wings over India to capitalise on the growing traffic and launched its first flight from India connecting Mumbai to Bangkok starting December 23.
The daily direct flight will depart Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 12:45 AM and arrive in Bangkok at 06:25 AM. The return flight will depart Bangkok at 08:45 PM and land in Mumbai at 11:50 PM.
Pinyot Pibulsonggram, the Commercial Head at VietJet Thailand, shared in an interview with CNBC-TV18 that traffic from India to Thailand is projected to touch two million tourist arrivals in 2024, and that’s when only 7-8% of Indians are travelling by air. Even an increase of 1% will be a big opportunity, he noted.
Currently, Air India, IndiGo, Thai Airways, Nok Air and VietJet offer flights from Indian destinations to Thailand.
Nok Air launched the Mumbai-Bangkok flight on October 28, 2024, as its second route in India after receiving a good response on its Hyderabad-Bangkok flights.
Pibulsonggram emphasised that although supply is increasing, demand is growing even faster. With more carriers entering the Mumbai-Bangkok route, he anticipates an occupancy rate of over 80% on the VietJet Thailand flights.
From Mumbai, VietJet Thailand is looking to quickly expand to other destinations, with plans to open 10 routes over the next three years. The airline has its eye on cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow.
By the end of 2025, VietJet Thailand plans to deploy up to 15% of its capacity on Indian routes and expects to ramp it up to 20% in the next three years.
“So our fleet capacity now is 18 aircraft. And in the next five years, we will ramp up to 50 aircraft. Mumbai is the first destination for us, so it’s still a small percentage. Like 1-2% of the capacity. But if you fast forward, let’s just say by the end of 2025, India will be 10-15% of the capacity,” Pinyot Pibulsonggram said.
For its inaugural Mumbai-Bangkok flight, VietJet is offering one-way fares starting at ₹8,000, with prices likely to fluctuate based on demand.
(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)
First Published: Dec 3, 2024 10:30 PM IST
