Pune: Concerns have emerged over a significant fare hike expected in popular flights from the city to Bangkok in Thailand, following the discontinuation of one of only two direct international flights from here to the destination from April onwards. Sources in the IndiGo airline, which began the Bangkok flight just last year, confirmed that it will no longer be available during the summer schedule due to ‘operational reasons’. While these were not specified, the sources said that flight duty time limitation (FDTL) regulations, which will come into full force from April, could be one of the reasons behind the curtailment. Pune has two direct flights to Bangkok operated by IndiGo and Air India Express. While the IndiGo one flies three days a week, the Air India Express flight is daily.Travel companies said the new development coupled with the sector’s high demand will lead to consequences. “The return fare of an Air India Express flight to Bangkok at present rests at Rs21,000 or so. Discontinuation of one flight option will impact the fare of the other. It may now jump to almost Rs28,000-Rs35,000 considering peak travel season in April, May and June,” said Santosh Gupta, owner of Shree Vinayak Holidays. He added that this sector is in high demand all the year round. “With one flight stopping operations, demand will be higher for the other flight, resulting in a jump in fares. Also, due to the high fares, many travellers will choose to travel via Mumbai to Thailand rather than from Pune. The civil aviation ministry and watchdog body Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) should look towards ensuring that fares, which are dynamic in nature, don’t shoot up to the extent that flyers from Pune cannot afford them. If that happens, the sector will get badly affected despite high demand,” Gupta added.Another travel company representative, choosing anonymity, said, “Mumbai has many direct flights to Bangkok and hence, fares are more or less controlled there. From Pune, the flights are less and demand is more. This impacts the pricing. Airport authorities need to push hard for more connections and work towards making the facility international flight-friendly, too. The introduction of a fast-track immigration service could be the first step.“Meanwhile, travellers are already feeling the heat. Kothrud resident Rahul Divane recently tried to book two tickets to Bangkok in mid-April and only got the Air India Express option. “Return fare for both came to almost Rs40,000, compared to Mumbai, where it cost Rs21,000. I contacted a travel agent, who asked me to book via Mumbai, adding that the fares from Pune would shoot up higher as time passed. I will do as recommended,” he said. Pune currently has only five direct international connections, two flights to Bangkok, two to Dubai and one to Abu Dhabi. Despite the availability of prime slots, the airport’s international connections remain restricted to only three international cities since long. Aviation analyst and expert Dhairyashil Vandekar agreed that the airport needs to capitalise on high demand for international connections. “There has always been huge and growing demand from Pune for direct international flights. After 20 years, however, Pune remains connected to only three international destinations, underscoring massive untapped potential. Beyond the need for a full-fledged greenfield international airport, Pune urgently requires upgrades to its operational, navigational, ramp and terminal infrastructure at the existing airport to be able to commence long-haul wide body flight operations,” he said.
