Direct flights open up new overseas destinations, Indian arrivals rise in double digits

Last year, IndiGo operated its maiden flights to Central Asia. It was an uncharted territory for the airline but with the rising traffic, its expansion bet seems to have paid off.

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Indian tourist arrivals in popular leisure destinations such as Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam have grown by double digits this year. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, which were connected with non-stop flights from Delhi, have seen 133 per cent and 148 per cent growth in Indian tourist arrivals compared to 2023, data compiled by aviation consultancy CAPA India shows.

While revenge travel fueled post-Covid 19 pandemic travel recovery, easier visa norms and increased air connectivity are boosting demand.

With Indian travellers eager to explore newer destinations, carriers are upping their capacity.

“Demand for international travel is strong. We are exploring new markets and continue to add destinations,” IndiGo’s chief executive officer Pieter Elbers said in a post-results conference call on Friday. 

IndiGo is likely to launch flights to Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia in the coming months. Further, it will add three more international destinations before next March. These additions will increase its international footprint to 40 destinations.

“India’s outbound air travel market is seriously under-penetrated. As Indian carriers focus more on international routes it will lead to even higher passenger growth,” said Kapil Kaul, South Asia CEO of CAPA India.

According to aviation analytics firm Curium, the number of international flights scheduled to/from India will see a 9.4 per cent increase in November on a year-on-year basis. Number of seats deployed is 10 per cent higher. Indian carriers are reporting faster growth than foreign peers on international routes with number of flights and seats rising by over 15 per cent in the same period.

India tops tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka with over three lakh citizens visiting the island nation between January and October. Similarly, with over 1.6 million arrivals, India is the third largest source market for Thailand after China and Malaysia. India has also moved to the 5th rank in tourist arrivals in Malaysia (from 6th before the pandemic) with a 50 per cent increase compared to 2019.

While Air India Express is planning flights to Bangkok and Phuket, Thai carrier Nok Air is launching flights to Mumbai from October end.

“This enhanced connectivity will position Bangkok as a key gateway to Thailand. Our new service represents a pivotal milestone for Nok Air as we strengthen our international network as a premium budget airline,” said the airline’s chief commercial officer Ranon Viputsiri.

According to tour operator Thomas Cook India, demand for travel during Diwali is up 30 per cent compared to last year with Thailand, Japan, Europe and Central Asia in preference.

A recent study by MakeMyTrip shows that international travel search volumes remain relatively steady across all seasons, with December being the most active month for international travel searches. The October-December quarter attracts the most searches for short-haul destinations, while the six-month period between April and September sees higher searches for mid & long-haul destinations.

According to the study, popular destinations such as the UAE, Thailand, and the USA top the chart of the destinations that Indians love to travel to, with Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Bhutan leading the emerging destinations chart.