New Norse Air routes boost Bangkok and Phuket winter arrivals
New routes from UK and Scandinavia expected to boost winter tourism
Thailand will welcome more European visitors this winter as a low-cost airline launches five new direct routes to Bangkok and Phuket from the UK and Scandinavia.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is celebrating the launch of five new direct flights by Norse Atlantic Airways, strengthening long-haul connectivity from Europe to Bangkok and Phuket for the 2025/2026 winter season.
The expanded service from the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Norway supports the government’s Big Impact, Act Fast strategy to drive international arrivals and reinforce Thailand’s position as a premier global tourism hub.
Chiravadee Khunsub, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing – Europe, America, Middle East, and Africa, said the new routes “reflect growing confidence in Thailand as a premier long-haul destination” and will “provide greater convenience and affordability for travellers while supporting TAT’s strategy to diversify source markets and extend visitor stays.”
Founded in 2021, Norse Atlantic is a long-haul, low-cost airline operating Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners with 338 seats. The airline is introducing five inaugural routes to Thailand for the 2025/2026 season.
From the UK, Norse will fly from London Gatwick to Bangkok starting tomorrow, October 26, with three to five flights per week. The Manchester–Bangkok service will launch on November 26, operating weekly through March 2026, making Manchester the only non-London UK airport with direct flights to Thailand. Norse reported over 100,000 indirect travellers on this route each year, now targeted through this new service.
From Northern Europe, the Stockholm–Bangkok route began on October 22 with two weekly flights, increasing to four per week from December. The airline will also launch Stockholm–Phuket and Oslo–Phuket services on December 4 and 8 respectively, both operating weekly throughout the winter.
The inaugural Stockholm–Bangkok Flight NO191, a full flight carrying 338 passengers, was welcomed at Suvarnabhumi Airport by TAT executives and Norse CCO Bård Nordhagen.
Other airlines are also enhancing Thailand’s winter flight schedule. Arkia Israeli Airlines begins Tel Aviv–Bangkok flights on November 26, and Air France will operate Paris–Phuket flights from November 28. Etihad Airways has already launched an Abu Dhabi–Krabi service, and United Airlines will land in Bangkok tomorrow, reviving direct US–Thailand connectivity for the first time in over a decade.
Between January and September this year, Thailand welcomed 757,960 UK travellers (up 13.66%) and 145,188 Swedish tourists (up 8.56%). Swedish visitors spend an average of 65,000 baht per trip, staying nearly 20 days and generating over 14.6 billion baht in revenue, according to TAT News.
Forward bookings from the UK are up 10% for October–December 2025 and 13% for early 2026, showing strong confidence in Thailand’s tourism future.
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