Thai AirAsia to begin India flights

The Thailand division of AirAsia will launch its first services into India with non-stop flights this December. Effective December 1st, the low-cost operator will launch a five-times weekly service from Bangkok to Delhi, and a once-weekly service to Kolkata. It will compete on the Delhi sector with Indian carriers, Air India and Jet Airways, which operate a daily rotation, as well as Kingfisher Airlines which operates six-weekly flights. Thai Airways International operates a double daily service and Cathay Pacific operates a daily extension of its Hong Kong originating service. IATA BSP data (Airport IS) shows that over 417,000 have flown this sector between July 2009-2010 with Thai Airways International having a 37% share of this market.
On the Kolkata service, Thai AirAsia will compete with a daily Jet Airways and Kingfisher service as well as six-weekly Thai Airways International and a thrice-weekly Air India Express flight. The route has seen over 237,000 O+D passengers travel between July 2009 and 2010.
AirAsia currently serves India from Kuala Lumpur to seven destinations in India, with its widebody services for AirAsia X serving Delhi and Mumbai. AirAsia also serves Chennai from its base in Penang.