Flying to India
Photo: Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
With a lack of viable overland routes available along with the dearth of international ferry services in modern times, flying is the only realistic option to enter India from outside South Asia.
There are plently of flights from Asia and Europe, but no direct flights from Pakistan. Direct flights are also available from the major cities in Africa and North America, but none from South America. From Oceania, the only direct flights are from Australia.
In addition, Gulf carriers like Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways offer a plethora of one-stop connections to many Indian cities from their hubs. Consider connecting via those hubs to save on ticket prices.
Delhi (DEL), Mumbai (BOM) and Bengaluru (BLR) are India's main aviation hubs. There are many nonstop, direct and connecting choices to these cities from Europe, North America, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia. There are also many long-haul international flights to Kolkata (CCU), Hyderabad (HYD), Chennai (MAA) and Ahmedabad (AMD).
Be sure to hold on to your boarding pass, as it will be checked on arrival in India. Some Indian airports, like Delhi, offer Wi-Fi access with a passport scan, and offer short–term tourist SIM cards, but the majority offer no Wi-Fi or SIM card options.
See the respective city or airport article for more specific information on flights. Bear in mind that many medium-sized cities offer only a handful of international flights, especially the seasonal ones.
UnderstandIndia once had various overland routes to Africa, Europe and China as part of the Silk Road, which got abandoned due the rise of the Ottoman Empire and its poor relations with maritime Europe.
From AfricaThere are direct flights from North and East Africa to India, including the non-stop flights from Addis Ababa, Cairo and Mauritius to Delhi, as well as from Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Mahé, Mauritius and…
From rest of AsiaThere are more flights to India from the rest of Asia than any other continent, mainly due to the Indian diaspora in the Middle East as well as the holiday destinations in Southeast Asia.
From EuropeChief European carriers flying to India are:
From other continentsThere are direct flights to Delhi from North American hubs like Los Angeles, Montreal, New York City, Toronto and Vancouver. Mumbai also provides direct connectivity to New York and Toronto, mainly by Air India.
SecurityIndia’s customs regime is notoriously complex, and could easily result in you facing seizure of goods, fines, deportation or imprisonment.
See also
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Flying to India" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons