New routes to Thailand
Riyadh Air and IndiGo launch flights to Bangkok, Kuwait to Phuket
New routes to Thailand
Riyadh Air and Indigo launch flight to Bangkok, Kuwait to Phuket
August 31st, 2026. Starting on September 2nd, Riyadh Air will introduce direct flights between the Saudi capital and Bangkok. The route will operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Flight number RX853 will depart from King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, at 23:15 and will touch down at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport at 10:35 the next morning. The return journey, flight number RX854, will leave Bangkok at 16:55 and arrive back in Riyadh at 20:15.
The journey is scheduled to last seven hours and twenty minutes in each direction, and the flight will be served by Boeing 787-9 Aircraft.
Gaya to Bangkok
IndiGo Air will also launch a route linking Gaya with Bangkok. Gaya is the home of the UNESCO World Heritage site Bodh Gaya and the Mahabodhi Temple. The service is expected to attract Buddhist pilgrims travelling in both directions.
The flight will operate twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, with flight number 6E1084 taking off from Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, at 10:15 and landing in Gaya at 12:15. The return trip, flight number 6E 1083, will leave Gaya at 13:15 and land back in Bangkok at 17:50.
The flight will be on board an Airbus A320 Neo aircraft with a flight time of three hours and thirty minutes for the journey to Gaya, and half an hour less for the return.
Kuwait to Phuket
Kuwait Airways has a route to Phuket lined up for an October 27th launch. The service will operate twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Flight number KU407 will take off from Kuwait International Airport at 03:30 on Tuesdays and O3:25 on Saturdays and is scheduled to arrive at Phuket International Airport at 14:55 or 14:50, respectively. The return leg for both days leaves Phuket at 16:15 and lands back in Kuwait City at 20:35.
An Airbus A330-900 Neo will operate the route, and the journey time will be seven hours and twenty-five minutes for the outbound flight and about one hour longer for the return.
Picture: Wat Saket, the Golden Mount, Bangkok ©David Sutton/themangoroad.com
Hotel Suggestions
Paradox Bangkok Sukhumvit 2
Kalima Resort & Spa Phuket
Related: Middle East to SE Asia