Guwahati–Bangkok Direct Flight Halted, Blow to International Travellers

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: There's bad news for air travellers in Assam and the northeastern region, as the only direct international flight from Guwahati to Bangkok in Thailand has been suspended since April 29, 2026. Thai AirAsia used to operate a direct flight from Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) in Guwahati to Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) in Bangkok in the past few years.

With the suspension of the only direct flight to and from LGBIA to DMK, there are no other international destinations from Guwahati airport. Earlier, a direct flight used to operate between Guwahati and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. This flight was also suspended in the first part of 2025, and it has not been resumed so far. There was another international flight between Guwahati and Dhaka, which was later stopped.

Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport now seems to be a misnomer, as, barring flights by Bhutan's Drukair, there are no longer any direct international flights operating from this airport. Only Drukair is operating flights from Paro in Bhutan to Bangkok via Guwahati and from Paro to Singapore via Guwahati. However, the airfares of Drukair on these routes are relatively high, making it difficult for middle-class travellers to afford them.

It needs to be mentioned that Thai AirAsia has not only suspended the Guwahati-Bangkok flight but a few others in the country as well. This airline of Thailand attributes the suspension of flights on these routes to the recent hike in aviation fuel prices.

Regarding the suspension of flights, Phairat Pornpathananangoon, Chief Executive Officer of Thai AirAsia, stated, "We have continuously done our utmost to adapt and efficiently manage our costs in response to the prolonged spike in aviation fuel prices, coupled with the traditional mid-year travel slowdown. For our domestic network, our priority remains steadfast - we are carefully managing our seat capacity to ensure it sufficiently meets travel demand, while working hard to keep fares reflective of actual costs yet reasonable for our guests."

"Aviation fuel constitutes our primary operating expense, and with jet fuel prices having surged more than threefold recently, we must rigorously optimize our operational plans by reducing flight frequencies and temporarily suspending several unviable routes. For our domestic network, we are scaling back our flight schedules at Suvarnabhumi Airport, retaining only the direct services from Suvarnabhumi to Chiang Mai and Phuket during May and June. Meanwhile, at Don Mueang Airport, we will continue to operate our full network across all destinations, with flight frequencies strategically aligned to match actual passenger demand," Phairat explained.

On the international front, the airline has temporarily suspended and reduced frequencies primarily on Indian routes due to high operating costs that currently prevent sustainable, competitive pricing. Meanwhile, operations across key markets such as China, East Asia, and ASEAN remain steady. The airline maintains a highly agile strategy and is monitoring global conditions closely. Should fuel prices stabilize and travel demand accelerate, Thai AirAsia stands fully prepared to rapidly reinstate and scale up its flight operations to serve our passengers once again.

In connection with the suspension of the Guwahati-Bangkok flight, Thai AirAsia officials stated that the suspension will be effective from April 29, 2026, to October 24, 2026. However, only time will tell whether the flight is reinstated or not.

It is worth mentioning that Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the New Terminal Building of LGBIA in Guwahati on December 20, 2025. Flights have now started operating from the new terminal.

As the central and state governments have been placing much emphasis on the Act East Policy, it is time that thrust is given to restarting flights to international destinations from Guwahati, at least to some destinations in neighbouring countries, so that trade and tourism can flourish in the Northeast region.

Travellers from Assam and other Northeast states heading to Bangkok and other destinations in the Southeast Asian countries are now compelled to take flights from Kolkata.

Also Read: NY Mayor Zohran Mamdani says he would ask King Charles to return Kohinoor