Thai Airways is set to bring back daily non-stop flights between Brussels and Bangkok from winter 2024. The Thai flag carrier’s return to the European capital will put an end to a four-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic and is anticipated to help cement the Belgian airport’s role as an intercontinental and regional hub.
The announcement was hailed as “great news” by Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport, who issued a statement “to welcome Thai Airways back to Brussels Airport.” The airport chief said the “daily direct connection to Bangkok strengthens our position as a European hub and offers our passengers even more travel options to Asia. For Thai passengers too, our airport offers an ideal gateway to the rest of Europe. We look forward to a great collaboration.”
Thai Airways at the heart of Europe
As well as being seen as an important tourist route, the Brussels – Bangkok connection is expected to be well-used serving both leisure and business flyers, with press materials noting the strategic importance of the choice of Brussels as a Benelux hub. “This will reconnect Thai Airways directly to the heart of Europe, with all its European and international institutions,” the release said.
Thai Airways has seen positive passenger revenue growth of 10% in the first quarter of 2024, despite downsizing its fleet. It has attributed the growth to increased passenger traffic and route expansion.
Thai Airways International is thrilled to announce the return of non-stop flights between Brussels and Bangkok starting December 1, 2024! Enjoy daily flights aboard the luxurious B787-8 Dreamliner, featuring both Royal Silk Class and Economy Class.
— Thai Airways (@ThaiAirways) June 1, 2024
🛫 Flight Schedule: TG935… pic.twitter.com/GomGYnC4z6
Bookable now
Bookable already, with ticket sales having started on the Thai Airways website on 1 June, the latest new route will be operated daily from 1 December, served by a Boeing B787-8 Dreamliner, which is “one of the most efficient aircraft on the market both in terms of emissions and noise”, according to a Brussels Airport statement.
Outgoing flights from Brussels Zaventem will leave for Bangkok just after lunch at 13:10, arriving in time for breakfast the following day at 06:10 local time. Coming the other way, Bangkok flights will depart at 00:30, arriving at 07:05 in the morning. Flights will be configured into two class segments: Royal Silk Class, with premium services and high-end comforts; and Economy Class, which seeks to offer a good standard of travel for all travellers.
The majority of foreign arrivals to Thailand come from Asia, Malaysia and China specifically, and Europe features low down the rankings but European arrivals from Russia, Scandinavia and Germany in particular, are driving high occupancy rates of over 90% in southern Thailand, according to TTGAsia.
