flydubai doubles Bangkok flights as UAE-Thailand travel demand surges despite regional tensions

Dubai: Dubai carrier flydubai is pressing ahead with its expansion in Thailand, doubling its daily flights to Bangkok from July 18 as travel demand between the UAE and Southeast Asia continues to climb despite recent geopolitical uncertainty.

The additional service was first announced by the airline in February and comes just a week after Thai tourism officials visiting the UAE confirmed that airlines would continue increasing seat capacity between the two countries.

Thailand expects the number of weekly flights between the UAE and the Southeast Asian destination to rise to around 140 as demand continues to grow.

The second daily service to Bangkok follows flydubai's launch of daily flights to Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) on July 1, giving travellers another gateway into the Thai capital alongside the carrier's existing services to Krabi.

With the additional Bangkok frequency and daily flights to Krabi, flydubai will operate up to 21 weekly flights to Thailand.

"Just weeks after welcoming Bangkok as our latest destination, we are pleased to build on the strong demand for this route by introducing a second daily flight from Dubai," said Sudhir Sreedharan, Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at flydubai.

He said Don Mueang Airport offers convenient access to central Bangkok, while the extra service gives passengers greater flexibility during the busy summer travel period.

The expansion comes as Thailand steps up efforts to attract more visitors from the Gulf.

Officials from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), who visited the UAE last week, said more than 600,000 travellers from GCC countries are expected to visit Thailand by the end of 2026, including more than 150,000 from the UAE.

To support that demand, airlines including Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia and flydubai are expanding services between the two countries. More than 15 direct flights now operate each day between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah and destinations across Thailand, with further capacity planned.

TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said the launch of flydubai's Dubai-Don Mueang service had strengthened connectivity between the UAE and Bangkok, adding that flights are set to increase to twice daily from July 18.

Thai tourism officials say travellers from the GCC are increasingly choosing longer holidays centred on wellness, medical tourism and luxury experiences rather than traditional beach breaks.

Visitors from the UAE typically stay between 10 days and three weeks and spend more than 100,000 Thai baht per trip on average, making them among Thailand's highest-value international visitors.

Alongside established destinations such as Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi and Chiang Mai, Thailand is also promoting emerging destinations to encourage longer stays and repeat visits.

Bangkok is one of several destinations being added to flydubai's growing network this year.

The Bangkok route is also available under the Emirates-flydubai codeshare partnership, allowing passengers to travel on a single ticket with through check-in and onward connections across a combined network of more than 240 destinations worldwide.

Last week, Dubai’s flagship Emirates has announced an additional flight from Dubai to Phuket, bringing the total number of daily flights to 3 and weekly flights to 21.

The airline announced the expansion on July 6, indicating a strong summer demand from Europe and the GCC and sustained tourism traffic into southern Thailand.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways flies to Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, and Chiang Mai, while Air Arabia services Bangkok, Phuket, and Krabi. Both UAE-based airlines have aggressively expanded their networks and frequencies into Thailand.