Chandigarh got air connectivity with Bangkok on Monday, with Air India launching a direct flight to the famous south-east Asian tourist destination from here.

The flight of the national carrier, which will be operating thrice a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday - took off from here at 2pm carrying over 120 passengers. The flight will take around five hours to reach the destination in Thailand.

The maiden flight from the Thailand’s capital reached Chandigarh International Airport in the morning before it took off for the return journey in the afternoon.

The flight was awaited for close to a year with the national carrier missing several deadlines. The airline’s local manager, RK Negi, said response to the flight is very good. The first flight is almost full and there is decent booking in subsequent flights as well, he said.

On price variation, Negi said travellers might get cheaper tickets to Bangkok from Delhi but taking off from here will help them save time. The return fare varies between Rs 20,000 and Rs 22,000.

Air India has deployed its latest plane A320 Neo on the route. Negi said it has 12 business class seats and 150 in the economy class. The aircraft has more leg space for both the categories, he said.

(With PTI inputs)