In the upcoming winter schedule announced by the Director General of Civil Aviation, Surtis will gain direct connectivity to Thailand, as Air India Express plans to operate a four-day-a-week flight between Surat and Bangkok. The airline will operate on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, with operations likely to begin in late November or the first week of December.
This flight will also increase domestic connectivity at Surat Airport, as the same aircraft will serve the Surat-Chennai route.
According to initial information, the aircraft for the Surat-Bangkok flight will arrive from Chennai the previous day at 10 PM as part of the Chennai-Surat flight and stay overnight. It will then depart for Bangkok at 6:30 AM on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, returning from Bangkok at 2:50 PM the same day. After landing in Surat, the flight will continue to Chennai in the evening at around 4:40 PM.
The airline’s winter schedule will come into effect on October 27. This flight service from Surat to Bangkok was requested by the “We Work for Working Airports at Surat” group and the Surat Diamond Bourse Committee. The Managing Director of Air India Express, Alok Singh, recently visited Surat, where this proposal was presented. He also toured the Surat Diamond Bourse.
Additionally, the airline is likely to launch a daily direct flight between Surat and Mumbai from October 28th. According to the initial information, the Mumbai flight will land at Surat airport at around 8:20 AM, and the return flight to Mumbai will take off at 8:50 AM.
The Mumbai flight will be advantageous for diamond traders who frequently travel to Mumbai. It will also benefit Surtis arriving at Mumbai airport from international destinations at midnight. Since there hasn’t been a Mumbai flight for the past year, it is expected to operate at full capacity.