The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) is looking to increase the number of seats on commercial flights to and from India by 7,000 per week as part of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's policy to promote Thailand as the region's aviation hub and boost tourism traffic.
Government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said on Monday the prime minister is committed to implementing the aviation hub policy.
It involves increasing frequency of international travel to the kingdom, establishing Thailand as an important destination, lifting the country's aviation industry status to that of an aviation hub of the region and enhancing the growth of tourism industry.
Mr Chai said the CAAT has acted on the policy by entering into an agreement with India's Civil Aviation Ministry to increase the number of seats on flights between the two countries.
The CAAT held talks with the Indian Civil Aviation Ministry and some Indian airlines back in March.
As a result of the discussion, both parties will be allowed to increase the capacity and frequency of flights between the countries on the condition that each country must fill at least 80% of the maximum flight quota granted, said Mr Chai.
In addition, the countries will each provide up to 7,000 extra flight seats per week for flights between their major cities, starting in November, he said.
In India, high-traffic cities for flights from Thailand include Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
Mr Chai also said the visa-free measure for Indian tourists travelling to Thailand, which has been extended until Nov 11, has resulted in a spike in Indian visitors to the kingdom. A total of 903,248 Indian visitors arrived in Thailand between Jan 1 and June 9.
He believes the agreement to expand the capacity of flights between the two countries will further boost tourist arrivals from the South Asian country.
"The prime minister is making its a policy to position Thailand as an important tourist destination.
"Indian tourists have been one the biggest groups of visitors to Thailand. We believe that having more flight seats will mark a crucial step towards strengthening air travel links between Thailand and India," said Mr Chai.