Thailand seeks to launch direct Chiang Mai-India flights amid broader transport ties

Thailand is advancing plans for direct flights between Chiang Mai and India to bolster tourism and regional connectivity, while also aiming to strengthen maritime and road transport links to South Asia.

Thailand is pressing ahead with plans to open direct flights between Chiang Mai and India, as officials move to widen links in aviation, shipping and road transport with one of Asia’s fastest-growing travel and trade markets. Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn raised the proposal in talks with Puneet Agrawal, India’s ambassador to Thailand, at the Transport Ministry this week, with both sides also discussing maritime cargo routes and the long-discussed India-Myanmar-Thailand highway link.

The push is being driven in part by tourism. According to Thai figures, India sent 1,056,729 visitors to Thailand in the first five months of the year, a rise of 7.98% from the same period in 2025. Phiphat said the numbers showed room for further expansion and argued that better connectivity would help spread arrivals beyond Bangkok into the north. Chiang Mai International Airport already handles direct services to 31 destinations in 12 countries, according to Directflights.com, underlining its role as a regional gateway.

Phiphat said a non-stop Chiang Mai-India route would make travel easier for Indian visitors and support the northern city’s efforts to draw more international traffic. He also told agencies under his ministry to treat safety and convenience for tourists as equal priorities, regardless of nationality. Agrawal thanked the Thai government for its visa-exemption policy for Indian travellers, which he said had helped sustain growth in arrivals.

Beyond aviation, the two governments want to make more of existing agreements linking Ranong Port with Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Kolkata. The aim is to turn memorandums of understanding into actual cargo flows and use Thailand’s Andaman coast as a logistics route into South Asia. They also reviewed progress on the India-Myanmar-Thailand Motor Vehicle Agreement, which is intended to create a cross-border road corridor for trade and transport.

The talks also pointed to broader commercial ambitions. Agrawal said India was ready to support Thai companies looking to invest in information technology, while encouraging Indian investors to look more closely at Thailand’s tourism and services sectors. For now, direct Chiang Mai-India flights remain a prospect rather than a scheduled reality, with Thai Airways’ India booking pages indicating no matching direct fares from Chiang Mai at present.