Kolkata: The city will get a new international airline when Vietjet Thailand flies in from Bangkok on Nov 16. This will be the sixth airline to connect Kolkata with Bangkok and take the total flight count to 36 a week.The Thai subsidiary of Vietnam’s low-cost airline Vietjet Air will operate four days a week. While the incoming flight will land in Kolkata before midnight every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, the departing flight will be in the early hours on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Monday. Bookings for the sector will commence on July 17.The airline will deploy its Airbus A320-200, which has 180 seats configured in an all-economy layout. Sources said the scheduled time of arrival for flight VZ770 is 11.20 pm, while the departure time for flight VZ771 is 12.20 am.This will be the airline’s third flight to India. It currently operates a flight between Mumbai and Bangkok and has also announced a flight between Mumbai and Phuket.“There is a strong demand for flights between Kolkata and Bangkok. The new airline will not only offer more options for travellers, it will also help keep fares in moderation,” said Travel Agents’ Federation of India national executive committee member Anil Punjabi.“With the visa-free entry for Indian travellers to Thailand available till the end of 2026, additional frequency and availability of seats will boost last-minute travellers, long weekend getaways, and at the same time become more cost-effective,” said Travel Agents Association of India national executive committee member Manav Soni.Sources said Vietjet would assess load factors and yield trends in the first few months of operation before deciding to make it a daily flight. At present, there are five airlines that fly between Kolkata and Bangkok: IndiGo Airlines, Thai Airways, Bhutan Airlines, Thai AirAsia, and Lion Air. IndiGo also has a daily flight between Kolkata and Phuket.
