Holi may be over, but India’s aviation scene is ready to add more colour to your travel plans. In today’s roundup, we’ll tell you about the launch of vital new flight routes, and how air connectivity has expanded with Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh since last week. 

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First up—the sectors with new non-stop flights:

Indigo started Shillong to Silchar flight operations yesterday. Launched under the UDAN scheme, flight 6E 7957 departs from Shillong Airport (SHL) at 10.20 am and arrives in Silchar Airport (IXS) by 11 am. For the return journey from Silchar to Shillong, flight 6E 7943 departs at 11.20 am and arrives by 12.05 pm. Shillong is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, while Silchar is a major city in Assam. 

Air India also announced two new flights. The first route is from Pune to Bhopal, which began from March 28 and will operate four times a week. The second route connects London to Hyderabad, and will depart every Sunday between May 9 and September 6, 2021. 

Srinagar night flights ready to soar

Srinagar’s Sheikh Ul Alam International Airport has received DGCA approval to begin night flight operations. The extension in timings is expected to help tourists and locals alike, especially for summer travel to the Kashmir Valley. 

Image credit: Clara Giraud/CC BY-ND 2.0/Flickr

IndiGo ran the inaugural night flight, ferrying around 180 passengers from Bengaluru to Srinagar on March 28, with a safe touchdown by 7 pm. This flight also resumed direct air connectivity between the two cities after a year-long hiatus. 

Prior to this, passenger flights could only land in Srinagar before sunset. The new timings were made possible after an upgrade in runway lighting systems, plus an extension of watch hours by the Indian Air Force, to whom the airport belongs. 

Kurnool Airport opens with 3 non-stop flights

Andhra Pradesh’s sixth civilian airport is now in Orvakal, located 30 minutes outside the city of Kurnool. Named after a Telugu freedom fighter, the Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy Airport landed its first flight on March 28, and will reportedly become home to southern India’s biggest industrial park. Kurnool’s airport code is KJB. 

अब शुरु कर्नूल की कहानी!

The first RCS flight under #UDAN operated by @IndiGo6E was welcomed with water cannons on landing at the newly inaugurated Kurnool Airport on 28th March. Thus starts a new chapter of aviation connectivity in the region. #SabUdenSabJuden pic.twitter.com/bGsU0HDVWH

— MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) March 28, 2021