Thai Airways is laun-ching four flights a week linking Chennai to Dubai and Bangkok from October 26, a move which will benefit many South Indian expatriates in the Gulf.
The carrier also plans to expand its network in the Middle East by extending services to Beirut, Amman, Riyadh and Jeddah.
Flight TG522 departs from Dubai at 6.35pm every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and reaches Chennai at 11:50 pm. Return flights will depart at 2.40pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and land in Dubai at 5.25pm.
The Thai national carrier, member of the Star Alliance, is now offering an introductory fare of Dh899 and Dh1,499 on one-way and return flights. This is valid for ticketing and outbound travel to take place by November 30 this year.
With this, Thai Airways operates 14 weekly flights out of Dubai, seven of them directly to Bangkok, three to Kuwait and four to Chennai. The airline also operates three flights to Muscat, three to Bahrain and three to Abu Dhabi.
"Our Gulf operation represents less than two per cent of our total output," said Philip Vira Bunnag, Thai Airways' general manager for the UAE and the Middle East. "We serve 76 destinations using 83 aircraft.
"For the last 30 years, we have been profitable, primarily due to lower human resources cost, our strong domestic and regional operation, backed by the tourism industry. Despite the Iraq war and SARS, we have done quite well this year. Thai Airways was not affected very much due to SARS as Thailand was largely SARS-free.
"In our Gulf network, we are witnessing an 80 per cent seat load factor. Our flights from Bangkok mostly serve business travellers and Indonesian labourers. On the other hand, flights out of the region to Bangkok are mostly filled by business and leisure travellers."
He said ticket prices have been under pressure due to the stiff competition in the market.
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