Bangkok--17 Mar--AirAsia
Thai AirAsia moves full steam ahead into India with new direct flights from Don Mueang Airport to Kochi, an important port city on India's southwest coast and a charming travel destination; introducing the route with a special promotional fare starting at only 1990 THB per trip available 15-27 March 2016 for travel from 16 May 2016-22 May 2017.
Mr. Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia, stated the airline is fully aware of the Indian market's potential for growth and is targeting expanding its network of routes not only to the country's major cities but its economically important destinations such as industrial hubs and port towns. With its growth over a range of dimensions, Thai AirAsia decided this year to once again expand its Indian network, adding daily direct flights (7 per week) from Don Mueang Airport to Kochi, India. The flight starts this 16 May 2016 and will make Thai AirAsia the first airline to operate a direct flight to Kochi, adding to its list of Indian destinations, which includes Chennai and Bangalore.
"We are ready to move forward in India this year as we can clearly see opportunities both in the travel sector and trade segment. The AirAsia brand is already familiar to the people of India following the success of our Chennai and Bangalore routes, which both saw Load Factors of 84% in 2015. Opening a direct flight to Kochi was very enticing and we expect to achieve Load Factors over 85% within the first 3 months of the route's operation as well as further growth in the future" Mr. Tassapon said.
Kochi is both an important port city and industrial hub for India, and has maintained an economic growth rate of 8.3% per year, making it a rapidly developing economic city. It is considered the trade capital of Kerala State and is one of the top 17 industrial cities of India with main businesses including construction, marine transport, information technology, health services and financial services.
Standing next to the Arabian Sea, Kochi has come to be known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea and offers many stunning tourism destinations and activities, such as Backwater Boathouses, allowing travelers a romantic way to view nature, and Chinese Fishing nets, a fishing technique that for 500 years was only practiced in China. At the same time, Kochi is a developing city that is ready to accommodate business and travel alike.
Presently, Thai AirAsia flies Don Mueang-Chennai 5 times weekly and Don Mueang-Bangalore 5 times weekly while also providing Fly Thru service from Don Mueang to many destinations popular among Indian travelers, including to Phuket, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Krabi and Surat Thani domestically and to Singapore, Macao and Ho Chi Minh City internationally. All together, the convenient options are sure to encourage travelers to visit Kochi and for its residents to fly to Bangkok to take advantage of the Fly Thru service.
The new route is being debuted with a special promotional fare starting at 1990 THB per trip, available 15-27 March 2016 for travel from 16 May 2016-22 May 2017. For information, visit www.airasia.com.