— IndiGo will resume flights connecting Kolkata with Shanghai and Siem Reap in Cambodia from October 1, while adding another service to Singapore, restoring international capacity ahead of the Durga Puja travel season, according to an airline official quoted by the Times of India.
The Shanghai service will operate daily, while the Kolkata-Singapore flight will run six days a week, except Tuesday. The Kolkata-Siem Reap service will operate three times a week on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
The three routes were withdrawn in March amid geopolitical challenges and flight disruptions linked to the war in Iran, according to the report. Industry sources said the resulting disruption in West Asia had contributed to a sharp decline in passenger loads and led airlines to suspend flights on several international sectors.
IndiGo currently operates more than 100 flights from Kolkata, including international services to Dhaka, Bangkok, Hanoi, Phuket and Guangzhou. Singapore Airlines already operates a daily service between Kolkata and Singapore.
The restored routes will expand direct travel options from eastern India to China, Cambodia and Singapore during a period when demand typically rises around Durga Puja. Travel Agents Federation of India chairman for the eastern region Anil Punjabi welcomed the return of the services, saying the flights would provide additional travel choices after recent disruptions.
Travel Agents Association of India chairman for the eastern region Anjani Dhanuka said the return of IndiGo services could encourage other Indian and international airlines to consider adding connections from Kolkata. He also said the city needed a direct flight connection to Europe.
IndiGo is also scheduled to introduce other international services in the coming months. The airline plans to begin twice-weekly flights from Bhubaneswar to Bangkok on October 1, from Gaya to Bangkok on October 26 and from Guwahati to Bangkok on October 27. A Mumbai-Dar es Salaam service is scheduled to start on November 20, according to the airline official cited in the report.
The Kolkata services are scheduled to begin on October 1, with the Shanghai route operating daily, the Singapore route operating on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the Siem Reap route operating on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
