IndiGo, India’s largest carrier, will start flights to Reunion island from Chennai starting April 29, 2026. The flights will operate thrice a week. Flights will operate every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. They will depart from Chennai at 1220 hours and land in Reunion by 1710 hours local time. The return trip leaves Reunion at 1810 hours and arrives in Chennai at 0210 hours the following day.
For IndiGo, this will be the ninth international destination from Chennai. Reunion island, located in the Indian ocean, is a French territory. It is one of the five regions of France, which are located outside mainland Europe. However, Reunion island is not part of the Schengen visa regime and a valid Schengen does not give entry to Reunion islands. Indian citizens travelling to Réunion generally require prior authorisation before departure. Indian passport holders are not eligible for a visa on arrival and must enter the island with an approved visa or visa waiver. For most short tourist visits, travellers must obtain a French short-stay visa or an approved travel authorisation issued in advance, depending on the length and nature of their stay.
Roland Garros Airport (IATA: RUN, ICAO: FMEE), formerly known as Gillot Airport, is an international airport located in Sainte-Marie on Réunion, France. The airport is 7 kilometres east of Saint-Denis; it is named after the French aviator Roland Garros. The airport is a hub for Air Austral, which operated to India with twice a week service to Chennai, until it stopped operations in March 2023, citing regulatory issues. The airport has two runways, which intersect each other. The airline operated the 737-800 aircraft in the past and later deployed the A220-300, one of the longest flights for the type. Air Austral operated once a week service for most part of its operations, often increasing it to twice a week post the deployment of A220s.
The island was inhabited in the 17th century according to some texts when the French arrived. Formally, the island became an overseas region of France in 1946. The French imported labor from parts of India, which now forms the basis for historical ties. The traffic today would typically comprise of trade, tourism and people connecting to their roots in Tamil Nadu.
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The route is a long thin route, which at current fuel prices will be a challenging one to operate. Given IndiGo’s large A320 fleet, its cost is very low, yet past data shows that average loads have been close to 100 passengers per flight. IndiGo is known to stimulate the market and also rely on not just the obvious like passengers, but also have long term deals with cargo companies, carry sailors and so on. Over the years, IndiGo had not cancelled a single station, until recently when Copenhagen was terminated, while Chengdu was not restarted when flights to China resumed.
The thrice a week operation will need revenue coming in from cargo, sea farers traffic amongst others. IndiGo has focused on Chennai to operate routes which see traditional ties like those to Jaffna, Penang and now Reunion Island. The question that remains in my mind for long has been the inability of an Indian carrier to operate flights to Kuala Lumpur from airports other than Chennai and Trichy, where they see heavy penetration of Malaysian carriers. With Indian carriers allowed to operate from any point in India, in most cases, I have always believed that there is a market for flights to Kuala Lumpur from Madurai and Coimbatore which will dent Trichy operations of AirAsia and Batik Air Malaysia.
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