Air Asia launches direct daily Kochi-Bangkok connection

Special fares on some seats until 27 March @INR 2999 for 

one-way journeys

         Fly-thru service starting mid-April for onward connections will avoid baggage hassles

         Good option for those in South India wanting to visit Thailand as Kochi is well-connected domestically

by Shrutee K/DNS

Mumbai, 16 March 2016: Air Asia has launched the first ever daily direct flight from Kochi to Bangkok Don Mueang starting 17 May 2016. Ms. Soraya Homchuen TAT Director of Mumbai said, “We are very excited to add a new connection for Indian visitors to Thailand. Now those residing in South India can fly to Bangkok from Kochi in addition to Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.”

She went on to elaborate: “In 2015 arrivals to Thailand from India reached 1,069,149 travellers, making India the 6th largest group of travellers to our country. Apart from delicious Thai cuisine, we are keen to showcase Thai hospitality and various attractions nationwide. Beyond Bangkok’s temples, shopping malls and night life, there is still much to explore. We invite you to visit our famous beaches in southern Thailand and relax among the natural landscape and green mountains of northern Thailand.”

Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia said, “India is a very important market for us and we are very committed to making air travel affordable and accessible from Kochi to Bangkok and beyond. As the first airline to launch a direct flight between Kochi and Bangkok, we are pleased to offer more convenience with a short 4 hour flight so travellers can have more time to enjoy our wonderful country. Beyond Bangkok, Thai AirAsia’s amazing connectivity allows for travellers to connect to over 20 destinations in Thailand including world famous beaches in Phuket and Krabi, and lush green mountains in northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, among many other amazing cities. Beyond Thailand, passengers can also easily hop to other international destinations including Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Siem Reap, Myanmar, Mandalay and Luang Prabang a

mong many other cities”.

From Bangkok, AirAsia passengers can conveniently connect to Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. The airline’s Fly-Thru service which allows travellers to check-through their bags to their final destination and is targeted to be available for booking starting mid-April 2016 onwards. Kerala is a ripe market for outbound travel with an increasingly discerning and globally inclined population, not to mention a per capital income estimated at Rs 88,527 according to the 2015 Economic Survey. “I think this connection opens tremendous opportunities to increase Indian arrivals to Thailand not only looking at Kochi as a hub, but also looking at Kerala as a source market. Additionally, the flight is offers Thais the opportunity to come and explore Kerala’s beautiful backwaters and of course the rest of India. A total of 104,393 Thai visitors travelled to India during 2014, an increase of 11% compared to the previous year.” Ms Homchuen said. Within India, Thai AirAsia also offers direct flights to Bangkok from Chennai and Bengaluru.