Air India adds direct flight to Gaya
VietJet launches Hanoi to Shanghai service
Air India adds direct flight to Gaya
VietJet launches Hanoi to Shanghai service
May 7th, 2025. Starting from September 1st Air India will add direct daily flights between Delhi and Gaya to its domestic network. Gaya will be the airline’s 46th local destination but me importantly the flights are timed to offer the most seamless connections for people travelling from Bangkok, Phuket, Colombo, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo for religious tourism.
Gaya is the second largest city in Bihar state but one of the most important tourist and pilgrimage destinations in India. The area is sacred in Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist faiths, and is mentioned in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It was Gaya where Rama, Sita and Lakshmana, came to offer pindadana, or rice balls with ghee and sesame, for their father, Dasharatha.
A few kilometres to the south is Bhodi Gaya where Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha, attained enlightenment.
Flight number AI429 will depart from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 14:30 and arrive at Bodhgaya Airport at 16:05. The return service, flight number AI430, will leave Gaya at 16:40 and arrive back in Delhi at 18:10
The flight duration will be about 90 minutes and an Airbus A320 Neo will be deployed.
Hanoi to Shanghai
At the end of April VietJet quietly launched a new daily service between Hanoi and Shanghai. This new flight comes hot on the heels of recently launched routes to both Beijing and Guangzhou.
“This new service reflects our continued commitment to providing travellers with more convenient and affordable flight options to Vietnam from key destinations around the world,” said Nguyen Duc Thinh, the airline’s Vice President.
Flight number VJ7238 takes off from Hanoi’s Noibai Airport at 21:15 and arrives at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 01:15 the next day. The return leg, flight number VJ7239, leaves Shanghai at 02:15 and touches down again in Hanoi at 04:45.
The flight will be served by Airbus A320 aircraft and the duration is three hours for the outward journey, half an hour longer for the return.
Picture: Great Buddha statue, Bodh Gaya by Andrew Moore via Wikimedia Commons