IndiGo will resume direct flights from Kolkata to Shanghai and Siem Reap in Cambodia from October 1, while adding another service to Singapore, expanding the city’s international air connectivity ahead of the Durga Puja travel period.
The airline will operate the Kolkata-Shanghai route daily, while flights to Singapore will run six days a week, excluding Tuesdays. The Kolkata-Siem Reap service, connecting the city with Cambodia’s gateway to the Angkor Wat temple complex, will operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
An IndiGo official told The Times of India that all three services would begin on October 1. The flights had been withdrawn in March amid geopolitical disruptions and a decline in passenger loads on several international routes, according to industry sources cited in the report.
The restored Shanghai service will provide a daily connection between Kolkata and the Chinese city. The additional Singapore service will supplement the existing daily Kolkata-Singapore operation by Singapore Airlines. IndiGo’s six-day schedule will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
IndiGo currently operates more than 100 flights from Kolkata and has five other international destinations in its network from the city: Dhaka, Bangkok, Hanoi, Phuket and Guangzhou. The airline’s return to Shanghai and Siem Reap will add two previously withdrawn destinations to that network.
The changes come before the Durga Puja holidays, when travel demand traditionally increases. The report said airlines operating from India were introducing additional international services as the festival approached. The schedule announcement also follows disruptions that had affected passenger numbers and led to the suspension of services on multiple sectors.
Travel Agents Federation of India chairman for the eastern region Anil Punjabi welcomed the return of the Kolkata services, saying the flights would create more travel options. Travel Agents Association of India chairman for the eastern region Anjani Dhanuka said the restored services could encourage other Indian and international airlines to consider connecting Kolkata with additional overseas destinations.
IndiGo is also scheduled to introduce other international services from eastern Indian cities. Twice-weekly flights from Bhubaneswar to Bangkok are planned from October 1, followed by a Gaya-Bangkok service from October 26 and a Guwahati-Bangkok service from October 27. The airline is scheduled to begin a Mumbai-Dar es Salaam flight on November 20.
The Kolkata-Shanghai flight will operate daily from October 1. The Kolkata-Singapore service will run six days a week, and the Kolkata-Siem Reap flight will operate three days a week on the announced schedule.
