City, Bangkok air-connected

Tribune News Service

Mohali, December 11

Chandigarh and Bangkok got air connectivity today with Air India starting a direct flight to the popular tourist destination.

The flight 336 took off from the Chandigarh airport at 2 pm carrying 122 passengers, including two in the business class. Over 40 seats remained vacant in the 162-seater A320, which has a seating capacity of 150 passengers in economy class and 12 in business class.

The five-hour flight, which will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, will depart from the Chandigarh international airport at 2 pm and reach Bangkok at 8.15 pm (Bangkok local time). From Bangkok, it will depart for Chandigarh at 5.40 am (Bangkok local time) and reach here at 9.20 am IST.

In the maiden flight from Bangkok to Chandigarh, 40 passengers arrived this morning. It is the third international flight from the Chandigarh airport. IndiGo and Air India subsidiary Air India Express are operating flights to Dubai and Sharjah since last year.

Pankaj Kumar, Executive Director (Sales and Marketing), Air India, said, “The Chandigarh-Bangkok flight will be a success and offers better connectivity to passengers from tricity and the nearby cities in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. This market has potential and once the demand increases, we shall consider increasing the frequency of the flight.”

He added that tourists from Thailand’s capital could visit places like Amritsar and Shimla. “The idea is to save time at a convenient fare so that demand picks up in future,” he said.

Isra Stapanaseth, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, New Delhi, said Thailand remained a popular destination for tourists from India, especially from the northern region. “In 2016, 1.07 million Indian tourists visited Thailand and from January-September this year, the number has risen to 1.2 million, which represents an increase of over 16 per cent.”

“The flight will save time and money for travellers from cities like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Dehradun, Manali and others. Lately, many travellers have been visiting Pattaya, Ko Samui and Phuket too for weddings, honeymoon and even business. We want to promote tourism and cultural ties for leisure and corporate travellers.”

Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) CEO Suneel Dutt said at present, 27 flights were operating at the airport, including the three international flights.

He said, “The runway repair at the airport would take a few months to complete. The length of the runway is being extended from 9000 feet to 10,400 feet. After resurfacing, we will be able to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft and then connect to more international destinations in the US, Canada and Europe.”

On whether any new flight coming up in the near future, he said, “It is a commercial decision of an airline to start a new flight,” adding that the possibility of a new flight was likely by next winter.

SPEAKING OUT

"We had been waiting for this flight since it was announced. Earlier, we had to travel to Delhi and take a connecting flight to Bangkok. The direct flight will be convenient and save passengers from the tricity the hassle of going to Delhi first. More destinations like London, Paris and Amsterdam should be connected to the city in future." Naresh Verma, city resident

"After the flight was announced over two months ago, we immediately made a plan to visit Pattaya. We were eagerly waiting to board and travel by the maiden flight." Dinesh Kumar, businessmen from Ludhiana

"The flight will be good for tourists and working professionals who routinely travel to Bangkok for business purposes. I travel to Thailand for business/leisure trip every three months. Taking a connecting flight is cumbersome, especially if one of the flights is delayed." Vishal Sharma, regional head, Lifestyle International, Chandigarh

"I travel to Thailand for business purposes. Earlier, I used to take a connecting flight from Kolkata or Delhi. A direct flight will save me time and cost, since I had to stay one night at another metro city. A lot of Punjabis are studying abroad and Chandigarh should be connected to countries like the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand." Kulwant Singh, city resident

"The flight will be convenient and cut travel time and cost." Dr SC Rokha, frequent flyer