Air India Express to Connect Ghaziabad to Four Indian Cities

In a shocking move, Air India Express has decided to launch operations from the Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad. The airline will be adding flights from Ghaziabad to four Indian cities, namely Bengaluru, Kolkata, Goa, and Chennai. With this, Air India Express will become the first airline to operate to 2 airports in Delhi.

In February 2024, reports stated that the Delhi IGI Airport operator had asked Low-Cost Carriers to relocate their operations to Ghaziabad and Noida Airport, as the airport increased its focus on full-service carriers.

Connecting Ghaziabad to Four Indian Cities

From August 1, Air India Express will launch operations at Ghaziabad / Hindon Airbase. Eventually, it will connect Hindon to 4 cities: Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, and Goa. On August 1, it will launch twice-daily Bengaluru service.

 

On August 12, Hindon will be connected to Goa and Kolkata with daily flights. Chennai will be connected to Hindon from August 20 with daily flights.

Air India Express operations from Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) will continue as usual. With this additional 35 weekly flights from Ghaziabad, Air India Express will further strengthen its Tier-1 connectivity.

In its statement, the airline confirmed usual operations at Delhi Airport. These flights to and from Ghaziabad will ensure enhanced connectivity in Western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana. The airline is looking to cater to passengers from central and eastern Delhi.

Here is a look at the timings of all the Air India Express flights from Hindon Airbase👇👇

 

In February 2024, Amar Ujala reported for the first time regarding the willingness of Air India Express to start operations at Ghaziabad Airport. At that time, the publication reported that Air India Express had asked for slots to start flights from Hindon to Kolkata, Goa, and Hyderabad.

Star Air and FlyBig Airlines are currently the only regional players operating at Hindon Airbase. On one hand, Star Air connects Ghaziabad to Nanded, Adampur and Ajmer, while FlyBig with its Twin Otter connects the airport to Ludhiana and Bathinda. Air India Express will become the only major airline operating from Ludhiana.

 

Executive Remarks

Other than non-stop connectivity, the airline will be providing one-stop flights from Hindon to Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Kozhikode, Kannur, Kochi, Hyderabad, Imphal, Bagdogra, Mangaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and Trivandrum.

In October 2023, the Government of India permitted the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to start regular scheduled flights from Ghaziabad Airport. Delhi Airport operator went to the Delhi High Court to protest this decision.

Delhi Airport: LCC Out

In February month, Business Standard reported that Delhi Airport operator DIAL had asked Low-Cost Carriers to relocate their operations to Ghaziabad and Noida Airport. Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) is aiming to handle high-margin carriers.

IndiGo is currently the largest airline at Delhi Airport, operating more than 35% of daily departures and arrivals. It will be interesting to see whether IndiGo follows Air India Express and starts operations from Ghaziabad.

 

IndiGo has already signed a LoI with the operator of Noida Airport to be the launch carrier. By the end of this year, Noida International Airport will be operationalized. IndiGo and Akasa Air have already committed to start operations from the airport.

Conclusion

Air India Express, in a surprising move, has commenced bookings for flights connecting Ghaziabad Airport to Bengaluru, Goa, Chennai, and Kolkata. The airline will operate twice daily from Bengaluru and daily to other cities. It will be interesting to see whether IndiGo follows suit or sticks to Noida Airport.

What do you think about this move from Air India Express? Discuss in the comment section.