IndiGo – India’s largest airline will fly to Jaffna starting September 01, 2024. The airline will operate daily flights from Chennai and deploy the ATR 72-600 aircraft. The flight would operate at below timings
6E1177 MAA1355 – 1510JAF 6E1178 JAF1555 – 1710MAA
This will be the second shortest international flight for IndiGo and the only international flight which is operated by the ATR 72-600s. IndiGo’s international flight mix now comprises flights to Istanbul, operated by Turkish Airways B777’s damp leased by IndiGo, and Qatar Airways MAX 8 progressively taking over flights to Doha, with all others being operated by its own A320 family.
Currently IndiGo’s longest international flight is the 3000 miles flight to Istanbul from Mumbai, operated by the leased B777-300ER. On its own metal, the A320neo operated Bengaluru – Denpasar Bali flight is the longest at 2983 miles. The shortest flight for the airline currently is the 149 miles distance separating Kolkata and Dhaka, which is operated by the A320 family.
Jaffna
Jaffna Airport is located at Palaly, near the town with a 1400 mtr long Asphalt runway. The airfield dates back to World War II. Post independence, the airport had regular domestic and international flights until the civil war embroiled the region. The airport underwent repairs and expansion before Alliance Air could start flights from Chennai. It remains the only international flight as of now, with other smaller airlines connecting Jaffna to Colombo.
Jaffna has a long history, having served as the seat of mediaeval Tamil Jaffna Kingdom. Prior to the civil war, the city was the second most populous city in Sri Lanka. There are cultural ties across the two countries, which are separated by the Palk Strait. The city is surrounded by lagoons, and is now finding its feet back to its past glory – with help from Tamils from all over the world and India.
India and Sri Lanka relations have been improving and Sri Lanka seems to be coming out of the economic spiral it found itself in.
Network Thoughts
Jaffna is a surprising addition to the network. It is not one which is driven by volumes, or even yields. There is limited data from past flights on the sector, yet the airline had decided to go ahead with this selection of a new international station – its second in Sri Lanka, after Colombo where it operates from multiple points in India. The flights to Jaffna would mean an addition to the one destination stations of IndiGo. Could the airline potentially add another flight from Jaffna to another point in Tamil Nadu? A wider network of IndiGo would potentially open up tourism in Jaffna. Alliance Air flights do not codeshare or interline with any other Indian carrier and that means it can attract only Origin – Destination passengers unlike IndiGo which can feed the flights from its vast domestic network and passengers can seamlessly connect at Chennai from major metros.
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One thought on “IndiGo’s turboprop will go international with flights to Jaffna”
the options to connect through Chennai will open up so many cities for Jaffna. It’s a big news for the economy of Jaffna. Indigo launching or increasing flights at any station will have a higher economic effect on that place compared to other airlines doing the same
the options to connect through Chennai will open up so many cities for Jaffna. It’s a big news for the economy of Jaffna. Indigo launching or increasing flights at any station will have a higher economic effect on that place compared to other airlines doing the same