Thailand and India Gain Stronger Holiday Air Link as Akasa Air Connects Bengaluru With Phuket Daily

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India and Thailand have gained stronger direct leisure connectivity through Akasa Air’s daily non-stop flights between Bengaluru and Phuket, giving travellers from southern India another convenient way to reach one of Thailand’s most popular island destinations.

The Bengaluru-Phuket service began on 1 October 2025 and remains part of Akasa Air’s international network. The route complements the airline’s Mumbai-Phuket connection and demonstrates how the Indian carrier has been building its presence in international markets since beginning overseas operations.

For Bengaluru travellers, the service removes the need to connect through another airport before reaching Phuket. It also gives passengers from Karnataka and surrounding southern Indian markets another option for travelling directly to Thailand.

The importance of the connection extends beyond the airline itself. India has become one of Thailand’s largest international tourism markets, while Thailand continues to strengthen air accessibility from Indian cities as it targets families, wedding groups, wellness visitors and other high-value travel segments.

Bengaluru Gains Daily Direct Access to Phuket

Akasa Air operates the Bengaluru-Phuket connection as a daily non-stop service.

The route links Kempegowda International Airport with Phuket International Airport, directly connecting India’s major technology and business centre with Thailand’s leading island tourism gateway.

When the service was introduced, flight QP623 was scheduled to depart Bengaluru at 6.25am and arrive in Phuket at 12.40pm local time.

The return flight, QP624, was scheduled to leave Phuket at 1.40pm and arrive in Bengaluru at 4.40pm.

Schedules can change over time, so passengers should check current operating times before travel. Akasa Air’s official website presently continues to list Bengaluru-Phuket and Phuket-Bengaluru within its flight network.

The daily frequency is particularly useful for holiday travellers because it provides greater flexibility over departure and return dates.

Phuket Strengthens Its Connection With Southern India

Phuket is an important destination for Indian outbound tourism.

The Thai island attracts visitors for its beaches, resorts, entertainment, restaurants, marine activities and surrounding islands. It also functions as a gateway for travellers exploring southern Thailand.

Direct connectivity from Bengaluru makes the destination more accessible to a large catchment area in southern India.

Bengaluru itself is one of India’s major metropolitan economies and a significant source of international business and leisure travel. Its large technology workforce and internationally connected population provide airlines with a diverse passenger base.

A non-stop Phuket connection can serve couples, families, groups, corporate travellers and people travelling for celebrations and destination events.

It can also appeal to passengers who prefer avoiding the additional travel time associated with connecting flights.

India Has Become Crucial to Thailand Tourism

The route sits within a much larger expansion of travel between India and Thailand.

Official Tourism Authority of Thailand figures show that Thailand welcomed 2,487,319 Indian visitors in 2025, representing growth of 16.82% compared with the previous year.

Those travellers generated approximately 93.86 billion baht in tourism revenue.

India’s importance continued into 2026. Between 1 January and 23 February, Thailand recorded 382,768 Indian arrivals, making India its fourth-largest inbound tourism market during that period, behind China, Malaysia and Russia.

Thailand is targeting more than 2.55 million Indian visitors during 2026 and approximately 97.86 billion baht in revenue.

These numbers explain why airlines continue to view India-Thailand connectivity as strategically important.

Air Capacity Between India and Thailand Keeps Growing

Air access has been an important factor behind Thailand’s success in attracting Indian visitors.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, 10 airlines operated direct services between India and Thailand during 2025.

Together, they provided 19,132 flights and approximately 3.84 million seats.

The connectivity extends across multiple Indian and Thai cities rather than depending entirely on Delhi, Mumbai and Bangkok.

Phuket has increasingly gained direct links from Indian cities, while Bangkok continues to function as Thailand’s principal international gateway. Krabi has also benefited from stronger Indian connectivity.

The development of these routes gives travellers more opportunities to fly directly to the part of Thailand they actually want to visit.

For tourism destinations, that can be valuable because it reduces pressure on passengers to route every journey through a major hub.

Akasa Air Expands Beyond India’s Domestic Market

The Phuket service is also part of Akasa Air’s broader international development.

The airline began commercial operations in India in August 2022 before entering the international market in March 2024.

Since then, Akasa Air has progressively added overseas destinations and developed international services connecting India with markets across the Middle East and Asia.

Phuket represents an important leisure component of that strategy.

Unlike some international routes dominated by business or visiting-friends-and-relatives traffic, Phuket is strongly associated with holiday demand.

Operating direct flights from both Mumbai and Bengaluru therefore allows Akasa Air to reach two of India’s largest metropolitan travel markets.

It also creates a stronger position for the carrier within the competitive India-Thailand aviation corridor.

Thailand Targets More Than Traditional Beach Holidays

Thailand’s strategy for India extends considerably beyond attracting travellers to beaches.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has identified families, health and wellness visitors, wedding groups, golfers, female travellers, seniors and travellers seeking rejuvenation and adventure as important market segments.

The country is also encouraging Indian visitors to explore beyond established destinations.

Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Krabi and Chiang Mai remain major attractions, but Thailand is increasingly promoting places including Chiang Rai, Kanchanaburi, Khao Yai and Sukhothai.

This strategy is designed to encourage repeat visitors to experience more parts of the country.

Air routes such as Bengaluru-Phuket can contribute to that wider strategy because passengers entering through Phuket can combine the island with other southern Thai destinations or connect onward during longer holidays.

Easier Flights Could Support Weddings and Family Travel

India is also an important market for Thailand’s destination wedding sector.

Thailand’s resorts, beaches, hospitality infrastructure and comparatively short flight times from India have made the country attractive for Indian weddings and celebrations.

Family tourism provides another major opportunity.

Daily flights give groups greater flexibility when arranging travel because passengers have more options for selecting departure dates.

Direct services are particularly useful for families travelling with children, older relatives or substantial baggage because they eliminate an intermediate airport connection.

For hotels and tourism businesses in Phuket, stronger access from Bengaluru potentially widens the pool of Indian travellers who can reach the island conveniently.

Bengaluru-Phuket Adds Competition for Travellers

Akasa Air is not alone in recognising the potential of this market.

The Bengaluru-Phuket corridor has attracted multiple airlines, reflecting the strength of travel demand between southern India and Thailand.

Competition can be beneficial for passengers because it creates greater choice across schedules, fares and airline products.

For Akasa Air, maintaining a daily operation provides consistent capacity in a market where leisure demand can fluctuate around holidays, school breaks and seasonal travel periods.

The airline’s presence also illustrates the broader transformation taking place in Indian international aviation.

Indian carriers are increasingly looking beyond domestic expansion and adding routes that connect major Indian cities directly with popular short-haul overseas destinations.

India and Thailand Benefit From Stronger Direct Connectivity

Akasa Air’s daily Bengaluru-Phuket service represents more than another beach-holiday flight.

It strengthens a rapidly developing aviation corridor between India and Thailand while giving southern Indian travellers direct access to one of Southeast Asia’s most established tourism destinations.

The route also fits closely with Thailand’s tourism priorities.

With almost 2.49 million Indian visitors recorded in 2025 and a target exceeding 2.55 million for 2026, India has become a market that Thailand cannot overlook. Growing airline capacity provides the physical connectivity needed to support that demand.

For Akasa Air, Phuket adds a major leisure destination to its expanding international network and complements its existing Mumbai connection.

For Bengaluru travellers, the practical advantage is simpler: Phuket can be reached directly every day without an intermediate flight connection.

As airlines continue expanding between India and Thailand, Bengaluru’s direct link with Phuket illustrates how international aviation growth is increasingly moving beyond traditional capital-to-capital routes and connecting major Indian cities directly with the destinations travellers want to visit.