NEW DELHI– IndiGo will begin operating daily nonstop flights between Kolkata and Shanghai, marking a further expansion of the airline’s international network and strengthening air connectivity between India and China.
The low-cost carrier said the new route builds on its recently resumed services to Guangzhou from both Kolkata and Delhi, as it looks to tap growing demand for travel, trade, and tourism between the two countries.
The Kolkata–Shanghai service will be operated using Airbus A320neo aircraft. With the addition of Shanghai, IndiGo is broadening options for both business and leisure travelers, while also enabling easier connections from cities across India.
Passengers from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jaipur, and Bhubaneswar will be able to connect to Shanghai via Kolkata, the airline said.
Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales at IndiGo, said the new route is expected to boost connectivity and support both business ties and cultural exchange between India and China.
He added that IndiGo currently operates 21 weekly flights to mainland China, including services to Guangzhou from Delhi and Kolkata.
According to the schedule, flight 6E 1709 will depart Kolkata at 9:45 p.m. and arrive in Shanghai at 4:40 a.m. the next day. The return service, flight 6E 1710, will leave Shanghai at 5:40 a.m. and reach Kolkata at 9:05 a.m.
Shares of IndiGo’s parent company, InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., were trading at Rs 4,010.30 on the BSE, down about 2 percent from the previous close.
Earlier, the airline also announced plans to launch more than 30 new routes from Navi Mumbai International Airport between March 29 and April 23, connecting the new hub to cities including Agra, Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Belgaum, Chandigarh, Diu, Kannur, Kolkata, Patna, Rajkot, Srinagar, Varanasi, and Visakhapatnam. IndiGo said it will operate more than 400 weekly departures from Navi Mumbai as part of the expansion. (Source: IANS)
