Jaisalmer’s winter flight schedule will resume on October 26 without weekend services and direct links to Jaipur and Bengaluru, creating a major connectivity gap for a tourism economy that depends heavily on short seasonal visits.
Jaisalmer Airport is scheduled to operate three daily flights to Delhi and two to Mumbai during the coming tourist season. Airlines, however, have not included Saturday and Sunday services, despite weekends being the busiest travel window for visitors who typically arrive on Friday evening or Saturday morning and leave on Sunday.
The revised schedule has also left out Jaipur and Bengaluru, two routes that were operational last year. Flights to Ahmedabad had already been discontinued two years ago. The changes have raised concerns among tourism businesses that depend on predictable air access during the winter months.
Jitendra Singh Rathore, a local tour operator, said the Bengaluru-Jaisalmer service introduced last winter had received an overwhelming response, with almost no seats vacant throughout the season. Other operators said the absence of weekend flights could make short breaks to the city more difficult for travellers from major urban markets.
The issue extends beyond tourist arrivals. Hotels, tour operators, taxi operators, tourist guides, handicraft workers and folk artists all depend on the seasonal flow of visitors to Jaisalmer, whose tourism economy is closely linked to the winter travel period. A reduction in arrivals or shorter stays could therefore affect a wide network of service providers rather than airlines and hotels alone.
Tour operator Vimal Gopa said the decision to exclude Jaipur and Bengaluru was difficult to understand because Jaisalmer’s tourism business relies significantly on weekend travel. Hotelier Mayank Bhatia said southern cities had become important source markets and that Bengaluru had generated substantial tourist volumes during the previous season.
Jaisalmer’s air connectivity also has a wider regional mobility dimension. The city is a major destination in western Rajasthan, but seasonal aviation schedules determine how easily visitors from other metropolitan centres can access it during the months when demand is highest. The absence of direct flights can push travellers towards longer road or rail journeys, potentially affecting the duration and convenience of trips.
Jaisalmer MLA Chhotu Singh Bhati has written to the Union civil aviation minister, the Rajasthan chief minister and the state’s civil aviation minister. His requests include regular weekend flight operations, restoration of direct links with Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, and support for charter flights.
The winter schedule is due to begin on October 26. Any change in weekend operations or the restoration of omitted routes would depend on decisions by airlines and responses from the central and state authorities.
