Air India Express is set to expand its network with the launch of new flights connecting Surat and Pune to Bangkok, starting December 20, 2024 marking Bangkok as the airline’s 15th international destination and 50th overall destination. 

The airline will offer three weekly flights between Pune and Bangkok, with fares starting at INR 6,500 for Xpress Lite and INR 7,000 for Xpress Value. The Pune-Bangkok flight will depart at 8.40 am and arrive at 2.30 pm, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The return flight from Bangkok to Pune will depart at 3.35 pm and arrive at 6.25 pm on the same day.

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Air India Express currently operates 75 weekly flights from Pune, providing direct connections to nine destinations - Bangkok, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, and Lucknow.

Along with boosting its international connectivity, Air India Express is also keen on expanding its domestic connectivity and plans to launch new routes to Nagaland and Bihar. The airline will begin daily direct flights connecting Dimapur to Guwahati and Patna to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. 

Highlighting Air India Express’ strategic push into Southeast Asia, Aloke Singh managing director, Air India Express emphasised the focus on the airline's expansion plans. “We are connecting non-metro cities in India to international destinations, as well as enhancing connectivity between Indian metros, in a bid to promote economic growth and tourism,” Singh said. 

The new routes to Bangkok, Dimapur, and Patna come as part of Air India Express’ ongoing expansion following its merger with AIX Connect. With this expansion the airline will now connect to 51 cities across India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, catering to growing demand for both international and domestic travel.

Currently, Air India Express operates a fleet of 90 aircraft and runs more than 400 flights daily.  Air India Express aims to increase its footprint in both regional and international aviation markets and the airline’s latest expansion strategy totally aligns with its long-term expansion goals. 

Air India Express recently boosted its flight operations from three major destinations in the northeast, Guwahati, Agartala, and Imphal as part of its winter schedule, increasing its operations to 106 weekly flights as compared to 63 last winter. With this expansion the airline provides one-stop connectivity to 18 domestic destinations and six international destinations from Guwahati and one-stop connectivity from Agartala to 11 domestic destinations.