Nok Air’s 2nd Mumbai flight launched

With Nok Air’s second flight connecting Bangkok to India from Mumbai, Thailand hopes to cross the two million mark by this year end. Represented in India by Dex Group, the airline brings high-quality product to the Indian market, offering great connections to destinations from Bangkok so that Indian visitors can explore more facets of Thailand.

Hazel Jain

It has been almost two years since Nok Air started operating Hyderabad flights from Bangkok. They also added Mumbai flights to cater to the heavy traffic. Visiting India for the launch was Ranon Viputsiri, Chief Commercial Officer, Nok Air. “Mumbai is a strategic market for us and another milestone for Nok Air. Hopefully, in 2025, we can add New Delhi to our routes as well,” he said.

Nok Air’s Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 189 seats will fly from Mumbai to Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport eight times a week. There are over 13,000 seats from Mumbai to Bangkok per month to meet the demand. The flights also offer the option of vegetarian meals that need to be pre-booked. Viputsiri said, “Our flight time is very good. It arrives in Bangkok at 7.45 am to ensure passengers get a full day in Bangkok. It is also good for transit passengers who can get great connections to other popular places like Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Krabi, as well as other secondary cities like Surat Thani, on Nok Air.” The airline has a total of 14 aircraft in its fleet.

He shared that the loadfactor for Hyderabad is around 77 per cent. “The Nok Air brand is already well known in the Indian market as we have been flying from Hyderabad to Don Mueang with four flights per week. We work with all the key partners and try to tap all segments from leisure to corporate, as well as students and sports segments. We will soon have in-flight entertainment,” he revealed.

GSA representation in India

Viputsiri said Thailand has been a preferred destination for Indians for years. “However, we see that the traffic has shifted more towards FIT and smaller family groups. Earlier, Indians would travel in bigger groups. For MICE groups, we can customise packages in terms of extra luggage or any other convenience. What makes our airline different is that we provide the best affordable fares, and we also give importance to the product and service. While we don’t have any code-share partner yet, we are exploring this avenue,” he added. It will soon go on the GDS apart from being available on OTAs and travel agents.

Commenting on newer destinations that Indians are now exploring, Auttapon Thaweesuntorn, Deputy Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand – Mumbai office, said, “Indian visitors are now travelling to newer destinations in Thailand. While they do visit Bangkok, they also visit nearby cities. We also see many Indian weddings.” Sharing an update on Indian numbers, Donnawit Poolsawat, Consul General, Thailand in Mumbai, said, “The visa-free scheme aims to facilitate travel from India to Thailand. Hence, the visa application to my office has reduced significantly. Since launch of this scheme, the number of Indian arrivals has increased. For the first six months this year, we recorded around 1.6 million Indian visitors, and I hope by the end of this year, we can cross 2 million milestone. I am confident that the visa-free scheme will be extended indefinitely.”