Air India Express launches daily Delhi-Varanasi flights, adds 30 extra Maha Kumbh services

Air India Express, on Thursday, announced that it is increasing its flight services to Varanasi to accommodate the rising number of travellers expected for the Maha Kumbh. The airline will introduce a new daily direct flight between Delhi and Varanasi starting 5 February 2025. Additionally, the frequency of Bengaluru-Varanasi flights will increase from three to four per day.

Hyderabad-Varanasi, which currently operates once daily, will see 30 additional flights during February and March. Passengers can book tickets for these routes through the airline’s official website, its mobile application, and authorised booking platforms.

Ankur Garg, Chief Commercial Officer of Air India Express, in a company statement, said, “Varanasi, the gateway to the Maha Kumbh and a cultural hub, remains a key part of our network. With these additions, we now operate 48 weekly flights from Varanasi, offering direct connections to Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai, along with one-stop access to 19 other destinations, including Chennai, Kochi, Goa, and Srinagar.”

Flight schedule from 5th February 2025 (all timings are local)

Departure	Arrival	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Frequency
Delhi	Varanasi	19:35	21:20	Daily
Varanasi	Delhi	21:50	23:25	Daily

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The airline’s broader network supports this expansion, with Delhi serving as a key hub. From Delhi, Air India Express operates approximately 325 weekly flights, providing direct connections to 18 domestic cities, including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Lucknow, and Ayodhya.

Additional flights (5th – 12th February 2025):

Departure	Arrival	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Frequency
Bengaluru	Varanasi	06:30	09:15	Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun
Varanasi	Bengaluru	09:55	12:40	Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun

Internationally, it offers direct services to Bahrain, Dammam, Muscat, and Sharjah, along with one-stop routes to several other destinations.

Bengaluru is another major operational base, with around 420 weekly flights linking 28 domestic destinations, such as Amritsar, Kolkata, Pune, and Visakhapatnam.

The airline also operates direct flights from Bengaluru to Abu Dhabi and Dammam, with additional one-stop services to multiple global cities, including Dubai, Bangkok, and Singapore.

In Hyderabad, Air India Express operates 208 weekly flights, covering 20 domestic destinations, including Chennai, Jaipur, and Guwahati. International operations from Hyderabad include direct flights to Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh, and Phuket, with extended connectivity to several other overseas locations.

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