Kochi gets more Bangkok, Gulf and domestic flights as CIAL unveils winter schedule
The biggest new addition is a four-times-a-week service to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi by Air India Express, giving Kochi connectivity to both of Bangkok’s major airports.
The biggest new addition is a four-times-a-week service to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi by Air India Express, giving Kochi connectivity to both of Bangkok’s major airports.
The biggest new addition is a four-times-a-week service to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi by Air India Express, giving Kochi connectivity to both of Bangkok’s major airports.
Kochi is set to get a stronger air link to Southeast Asia and more frequent services to the Gulf and key Indian cities as Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) rolls out its Winter Schedule 2026, with weekly scheduled flight movements rising by 14.4% compared with the summer schedule.
The biggest new addition is a four-times-a-week service to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi by Air India Express, giving Kochi connectivity to both of Bangkok’s major airports. CIAL already has services to Bangkok-Don Mueang, as well as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Male and Colombo.
The Winter Schedule, which will be in effect from October 26, 2026, to March 28, 2027, comprises 1,766 scheduled weekly flight movements, including 885 arrivals and 881 departures, compared with 1,544 weekly movements in the Summer 2026 schedule.
Connects 32 destinations
The airport will be connected to 32 destinations including 13 domestic and 19 international, by 28 airlines, with an average of around 252 scheduled flight movements a day. The additional services are not limited to Bangkok. IndiGo will operate daily flights to Fujairah, while Akasa Air will introduce daily services to Dubai, Dammam and Kuwait. On the domestic front, IndiGo will operate daily services to Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram.
CIAL said the Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi services would further strengthen its growing connectivity with Southeast Asia. The existing schedule has 93 weekly arrivals from six South and Southeast Asian destinations. With the addition of Suvarnabhumi, passengers from Kochi will have access to both Bangkok airports, widening travel options to Thailand and onward destinations in the Far East.
Major changes
The increase in operations is broadly balanced between the domestic and international sectors, while higher frequencies to key Middle East destinations and the new Bangkok connectivity are among the major changes in the winter schedule.
The Gulf will remain a major component of Kochi’s international network, with the winter schedule connecting the airport to 13 destinations in the region including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait, Riyadh, Muscat, Sharjah, Jeddah, Bahrain, Dammam, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Salalah. These destinations together account for 327 weekly arrivals.
CIAL’s domestic network will comprise 13 destinations, accounting for 465 weekly arrivals. Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai are among the major domestic destinations by frequency, with Bengaluru and Mumbai leading the domestic frequency charts. On the international side, Abu Dhabi has the highest frequency, followed by Dubai, which is the second-largest international origin city.
Among airlines, IndiGo will have the highest number of weekly movements, with 638 operations. CIAL managing director S Suhas said the airport operator had been working to establish greater regional connectivity across the country. “We have already devised plans to further enhance the passenger experience, including services such as home baggage collection and improved facilities for passengers requiring special assistance,” he said.