Patna: A direct flight service between Patna and Navi Mumbai was launched on Sunday, marking the first such connection between the two cities.
The inaugural Indigo flight, 6E 2043, arrived in Patna at around 2.15pm and was welcomed with a ceremonial water salute at the airport. The aircraft carried 175 passengers on its arrival.
The same flight later departed for Navi Mumbai at 2.50pm with 172 passengers on board. The travel time between the two cities is estimated to be around 2 hours and 40 minutes.
The launch coincides with the implementation of the airport’s summer schedule, which came into effect the same day and will remain in place until October 24. Approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the schedule includes 48 pairs of flights.
Under the revised timetable, flight operations at Patna airport have been extended. The first arrival of the day will now be from Pune at 2.50am, followed by a departure to Pune at 2.55am. The final departure is scheduled for Bengaluru at 11.25pm, while the last incoming flight from Bengaluru will land at 10.50pm.
Despite the expanded schedule, no new routes have been introduced apart from Navi Mumbai. There are currently no direct flights from Patna to cities such as Guwahati, Jaipur, Bhopal, Varanasi, Deoghar or Ayodhya.
At present, Patna is directly connected by air to major cities including Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Ranchi, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Pune, Bhubaneswar and Hyderabad.
Officials said the new service is expected to enhance connectivity and provide greater convenience for passengers travelling between Bihar and Maharashtra.
