NEW DELHI: Residents of Ghaziabad and surrounding areas now have the opportunity to fly directly to various destinations across India from Hindon Airport. On Saturday, Air India Express launched its inaugural Kolkata-Hindon-Goa flight, marking it the first operation of a 180-seater Boeing 737 MAX, the largest passenger aircraft to utilize this defense airport. During the service’s inauguration, Union Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu expressed his hopes for future Hindon to London flights. This direct service from Hindon, located in western Uttar Pradesh, comes just months ahead of the much-anticipated Noida International Airport at Greater Noida’s Jewar, which is set to commence operations later this summer.
Air India Express, now the first major airline to operate from both IGI Airport and Hindon, is scheduled to offer 40 weekly direct flights from Hindon to Bengaluru, Chennai, Goa, Jammu, and Kolkata by March 22, 2025. Additionally, from March 10, the airline will also provide a thrice-weekly service connecting Hindon to Mumbai. The airline identifies the entire north/east Delhi NCR, along with western UP’s Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Noida as key markets.
Minister Naidu commented, “With the inclusion of Hindon into its expanding network, Air India Express is not only enhancing connectivity but also delivering greater flexibility across the NCR. The launch of services from Hindon will support ongoing operations at IGI Airport, aligning with the government’s vision to broaden aviation infrastructure to accommodate the increasing demand for air travel.”
Commercial flights from Hindon had just begun before the onset of Covid in October 2019 when a now-defunct airline provided service to Pithoragarh. Although smaller regional airlines have struggled in India, Hindon saw stable operations commence when Star Air, the aviation branch of the Sanjay Ghodawat group, initiated flights there. Currently, Star Air connects Hindon with Adampur, Nanded, Kishangarh, Pune, and Bengaluru using its 76-seater Embraer E175 aircraft. The introduction of AI Express’s 180-seater B737 marks a significant development, being the largest commercial aircraft to operate from this defense facility.
“Presently, commercial operations to and from Hindon are limited to daylight hours, with the airport capable of accommodating one flight per hour. Consequently, the six flights AI Express plans to operate later this month will be well-timed and spaced,” sources noted.
