Thai Airways has scheduled the launch of five additional international routes during the northern winter season—four of which have been operating by regional subsidiary Thai Smile.
Starting Oct. 29, Thailand’s flag-carrier intends to commence daily service from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) to Kaohsiung (KHH), Taiwan; Kolkata (CCU), India; and Penang (PEN), Malaysia. Routes from BKK to Siem Reap (SAI), Cambodia, and Istanbul Airport (IST), Turkey, will follow starting Dec. 1.
Service to IST will be aboard Airbus A350-900 aircraft, while the other four will be operated using A320s, data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows.
Thai Airways previously served Penang until July 2016 when regional subsidiary Thai Smile took over the route. However, Thai Smile is currently being merged into the Thai Airways brand as part of efforts to reduce operational costs, so the route looks set to transfer back to its mainline parent.
Thai Smile also provided daily flights from Bangkok to Siem Reap from February 2016 until the onset of the pandemic, with the route returning during the northern winter 2022-23 season. The airline has also served Kaohsiung since October 2017 and took over the Kolkata route from Thai Airways in April 2023.
The service to Istanbul comes after Thai Airways signed a joint venture agreement with Star Alliance partner Turkish Airlines in early August, designed to enhance connecting opportunities through the networks of both airlines. Turkish Airlines is currently the only carrier operating between Turkey and Thailand, while Thai Airways last offered flights to Istanbul in 2008.
Elsewhere on Thai Airways’ international network, daily flights to Kathmandu, Nepal, are scheduled to resume on Oct. 29 after being suspended since March 2020, while daily service to Ahmedabad, India, started on Sept. 1.
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