GoAir to connect 10 Indian cities to Phuket by 2019-end

Budget carrier GoAir, which started its international operations recently, will make Phuket as its Thailand hub and fly to the beach island from eight more Indian cities by next year-end, a top company executive said Monday.

The Wadia group-promoted carrier currently flies to Phuket and Male in Maldives from Mumbai and New Delhi as part of its overseas route network.

It had commenced its international operations with flight services to Phuket from New Delhi on October 11.

"We announce that Phuket is our first international route...we are making Phuket our Thailand hub. We already have routes from Mumbai and Delhi to Phuket, and by the end of next year, we will increase this to 10 cities flying direct to Phuket," GoAir managing director Jeh Wadia was quoted as saying in a release by Royal Phuket Marina.

With the introduction of these flights, GoAir aims to amplify and replicate its domestic success story, he added.

GoAir, which launched its domestic operations in November 2005, was granted rights in August 2016 to operate to nine countries, including China, Vietnam, Maldives, Kazakhstan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, among others.

The city-based carried had qualified for overseas flights two years ago when it took delivery of its 20th aircraft, which was also its first Airbus A320 Neo.

The no-frills carrier at present operates over 1,550 weekly flights across 23 domestic and two international destinations, with a fleet of 41 Airbus A320 planes, including 22 A320 Neos.