Bangladesh, Aug. 23 -- Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas confirmed the revised timeline on August 21 during a visit to aircraft maker NZAero's hangar at Auckland's Ardmore Airport. The decision followed bilateral discussions between the Thai and New Zealand prime ministers.

The route had originally been planned to return in 2028. However, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reportedly told his New Zealand counterpart that preparations were being fast-tracked to target an early 2027 restart.

Ekniti described the move as an opportunity to deepen cooperation between the two countries through a code-sharing arrangement rather than direct competition, calling it a mutually beneficial step that w...