Air India Express will operate its inaugural flight to Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya from Delhi on December 30. This will be the first time that the temple town will have direct air-to-air connectivity with the national capital. Daily direct flights will begin from January 16, 2024.
The development comes ahead of the consecration ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024.
In a release on Wednesday, Air India Express said the inaugural flight IX 2789 on December 30 is scheduled to depart from Delhi at 11 am and land in Ayodhya at 12:20 pm. From Ayodhya, IX 1769 is scheduled to depart for Delhi at 12:50 pm and arrive at 2:10 pm.
The airline, a subsidiary of Air India, operates more than 300 flights daily. It has a fleet of 59 aircraft.
“Air India Express is excited to commence operations from Ayodhya right after the airport opens. This underlines our commitment to enhancing connectivity between Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across the country. We are enthusiastic about Ayodhya's anticipated growth, attracting pilgrims and travellers from near and far and take pride in being part of this exciting growth story,” said Aloke Singh, Managing Director of Air India Express.
The airline has released the schedule for daily non-stop flights between Ayodhya and Delhi, with bookings available through its mobile app and website airindiaexpress.com, as well as other major booking platforms.
On December 14, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued the aerodrome licence for the upcoming Ayodhya airport, which has been developed at a cost of around Rs 350 crore by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, on December 8, said the Ayodhya airport will be ready by the end of this month and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the airport.
(with inputs from PTI)
Published By:
Prateek Chakraborty
Published On:
Dec 20, 2023
English (US) ·