Chandigarh Sharjah flights will resume from Monday after a three-year gap, with Air India Express restoring a direct connection between Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport and the United Arab Emirates as part of its winter schedule.
The airline will operate non-stop services between Chandigarh and Sharjah four days a week — Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Flight IX-453 will depart Chandigarh at 1.50pm and arrive in Sharjah at 4.50pm. The return service, IX-454, will leave Sharjah at 5.50pm and reach Chandigarh at 11.05pm.
The winter schedule will remain in effect through March 28, 2027. One-way fares for the route start at approximately ₹17,000, according to the schedule details reported by the Times of India. The service restores a direct UAE link for passengers from Punjab, Haryana and the wider Tricity area.
The route is expected to serve expatriates, business travellers and tourists who previously had to rely on connecting flights for travel between the region and Sharjah. With the resumption, Chandigarh airport will have three direct international destinations. IndiGo currently operates direct services from Chandigarh to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The restored international service comes alongside an expansion of domestic connectivity at the airport. Akasa Air will begin operations from Chandigarh on December 1, launching daily flights to Goa and Bengaluru under the Airports Authority of India’s winter schedule. The airline’s entry will add another carrier to the airport’s domestic network.
The schedule changes are taking place while several major airlines, including Air India Group, IndiGo and Akasa Air, have suspended selected services to Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East because of regional security concerns. The reported suspensions do not include the direct Chandigarh services to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which remain operational.
Passengers travelling on affected routes have been advised to check flight status before leaving for the airport. Air India Group has also opened helpline numbers to assist passengers with rebooking and refunds where services have been affected.
The next operational milestone is the commencement of Air India Express’ Chandigarh–Sharjah service and Akasa Air’s daily Chandigarh flights to Goa and Bengaluru under the winter schedule.
