Flying to India

General Information

As a rapidly expanding aviation giant and given the country's size, it's no surprise that air travel is ubiquitous in India. There are over 150 commercial airports, with around thirty handling significant international traffic. Among these, about fifty serve over a million passengers annually, and around ten exceed ten million.

Unsurprisingly, as the country's main gateways, Delhi and Mumbai airports are the busiest, with 80 and 55 million passengers respectively. They are followed by Bangalore (45 million), Hyderabad (30 million), Chennai (23 million), and Kolkata (20 million). In short, intense activity across the country.

Local Airlines

There’s plenty of choice and volume when it comes to passenger numbers. Over fifty airlines fly under the country’s colors, though many are small or operate niche networks. At the other end of the spectrum, a handful dominate the vast majority of both domestic and international traffic.

In India, five airlines share the market: the Air India Group (Air India plus Air India Express) and IndiGo are by far the largest. The former operates 300 aircraft across 150 destinations, while the latter has 400 aircraft serving just as many routes worldwide. Both have ordered hundreds more aircraft, signaling global ambitions. Smaller players like Alliance Air and low-cost carriers Akasa Air and SpiceJet have carved out their niches in the domestic and regional markets.

From France and Europe

Air traffic between India and Europe has traditionally been dense, not just to and from the UK. India has long positioned itself as a transit hub between Europe and Southeast/East Asia. As a result, there are around twenty routes, with Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai serving as gateways to the Indian peninsula. Major European capitals and airline hubs are well connected, with European carriers like Air France, along with Air India and IndiGo, leading the way.

From Paris, direct flights to Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai are operated by Air France and Air India, offering quick connections (8 to 10 hours) but at a higher price. Expect to pay around 1,000 € with them, while flights with layovers—especially via the Gulf—can be found for around 650 €–700.

However, beyond just price, consider flight duration (some can be lengthy), ideal travel dates, and the option to mix arrival and departure cities (e.g., arriving in Mumbai and leaving from Delhi) for this kind of journey.

From the Rest of Asia

Strategically located between the Middle East and East Asia, India offers extensive connections from numerous cities to most countries in the region. While Air India and IndiGo, along with a few other Indian carriers, operate on these routes, many major Asian airlines also fly to India from their home bases.

From Elsewhere

Apart from Latin America, which has no direct flights, other major regions have at least one route operated by Indian or local airlines. This includes the USA/Canada, Australia, and especially the eastern coast of Africa (Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritius, Réunion), primarily from Delhi or Mumbai.