India launches new flights to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur this winter

International travel from India’s Kolkata is in for a major lift this winter, as two major airlines ramp up connections to Southeast Asia. With Thai Lion Air launching four weekly flights to Bangkok and Malaysia Airlines resuming its pre-pandemic route to Kuala Lumpur, Kolkata travellers are set for a world of new options.

Starting December 16, Thai Lion Air, a budget-friendly airline affiliated with Indonesia’s Lion Air, will begin direct flights between Kolkata and Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport. Operating on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, this new service will depart Bangkok at 12.30am, arriving in Kolkata by 1.35am local time. The return flight will leave Kolkata at 2.35am, landing in Bangkok at 6.35am local time.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines, marking its post-pandemic return, is set to launch its Kuala Lumpur-Kolkata service on December 2. Operating five times weekly (Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays) the flight will land in Kolkata at 11.10pm and depart at 12.10am. This re-entry makes Malaysia Airlines the first international airline to restore services to Kolkata since the pandemic, joining AirAsia in connecting Kolkata and Kuala Lumpur.

Airport officials are thrilled with the boost, said airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria.

“Talks are on for resumption and addition of more international flights, and we are upgrading facilities at the international wing of the airport.”

With the addition of these new routes, Kolkata’s international connectivity will jump to 146 weekly flights, up from 137. The winter schedule also saw AirAsia Thailand adding direct flights to Phuket, while IndiGo will increase its flights to Bangkok to four per week.

These developments underscore Kolkata’s growing prominence as an international gateway, promising travellers more convenience and choice just in time for peak travel season, reported Times of India.

In related news, a Thai AirAsia flight found itself in a death-defying situation straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster when it was denied permission to land at an airport in India.