Jet Airways expands in Thai market

Jet Airways expands services between India and Thailand adding a second daily Bangkok-Mumbai flight, which gives it 14 flights a week on the route, from 16 August.

It will also kick off a twice weekly Bangkok-Gaya-Varanasi service, starting 6 October.

Currently, Jet Airways is offering just one daily morning flight from Bangkok to Mumbai, departing at 0840 and returning from Mumbai at 0110. The new flight will leave Bangkok at 2055.

The airline is promoting Mumbai as a transit point to London for the morning flight, but with an extra evening flight, passengers from Thailand could also connect with services to Brussels and New York via Brussels. Connecting time for London is one hour and a half for the morning flight and two hours and a half for Brussels.

On the Bangkok-Mumbai route, Jet Airways competes with Thai Airways International, which has 10 flights a week, Cathay Pacific Airways and Air India (daily each). Kingfisher, a private carrier, is planning to operate Bangkok and Mumbai, too, starting operations to Thailand, 14 August, with daily flights to Kolkata.

Jet Airways’ pilgrimage route starts, 6 October, with a twice daily service, until the end of the tourism season in March, using a B737-800, with 20 business class seats and 124 in economy.

The seasonal Bangkok-Gaya-Varanasi-Bangkok route has been served daily by Thai Airways International, using a 150-seat B737-400 (12 business seats and 138, economy).

The airline’s regional manager, Thailand and Malaysia, Kavin Martinus says feedback from local travel agents is very encouraging. “We hope to carry 5,000 passengers during second half of the year.”