IndiGo will start direct flights between Guwahati and Deoghar from August 4, 2026, the airline announced.

The service will run twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, connecting Northeast India with Deoghar, a pilgrimage town in Jharkhand.

Under the released schedule, flight 6E 7709 departs Guwahati at 9:25 am and arrives in Deoghar at 11:20 am, while flight 6E 7710 departs Deoghar at 11:40 am and reaches Guwahati at 1:35 pm.

IndiGo said timings are local and subject to regulatory approval, with tickets bookable through its website, mobile app, or authorised travel partners.

Deoghar Airport is about 9 km from the Baba Baidyanath Dham temple, one of twelve Jyotirlingas in Hinduism, and the new route is meant to benefit pilgrims from Assam and elsewhere in the Northeast.

The direct flight removes the need for connecting services between the two regions, though the twice-weekly schedule offers less flexibility than a daily route.

Deoghar Airport began commercial operations in recent years as part of a wider push by India’s civil aviation ministry to improve connectivity to smaller cities and pilgrimage centres under its regional connectivity scheme.

Guwahati’s Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport serves as the main aviation hub for Assam and much of Northeast India, connecting the region to major domestic and select international destinations.

Deoghar Airport, located about 9 km from the Baba Baidyanath Dham temple, was built primarily to ease pilgrim access to the Jyotirlinga shrine, one of twelve such sites revered in Hinduism.

The new route eliminates the need for connecting flights for pilgrims and travellers based in Assam or elsewhere in Northeast India who wish to visit Deoghar, IndiGo said.

Twice-weekly frequency limits scheduling flexibility compared with daily services, a constraint that could be tested during peak pilgrimage periods such as the Hindu month of Shrawan, when visitor numbers to Baidyanath Dham surge sharply.

Photo by Md Shaifuzzaman Ayon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Air India will start flying a new seasonal Mumbai-Toronto route with three weekly flights from October 25, 2026, running through March 26, 2027, the airline announced on Saturday, August 2, 2026.

The route will initially use upgraded Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with redesigned cabins, featuring eight First Class suites with privacy doors, 40 fully flat Business Class seats, 280 Economy Class seats and onboard WiFi.

The new flights add close to 2,000 seats a week between India and Canada, and will switch to the newer Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from January 2027 as more aircraft become available.

Air India has also started flying brand-new Boeing 787-9 aircraft on its Delhi-Toronto route, with seven of its 10 weekly Delhi-Toronto services now operated by the Dreamliner this winter.

Chief commercial officer Nipun Aggarwal said Canada ‘remains one of Air India’s most significant international markets because of strong people-to-people ties,’ describing the new route and aircraft as evidence of the airline’s North American focus.

The moves lift Air India’s total weekly India-Canada capacity to 20 flights for winter 2026-27, with a 71% jump in premium seat availability and roughly 4,400 extra monthly seats.

The winter 2026-27 network expansion takes Air India’s total weekly India-Canada capacity to 20 flights, alongside a 71% increase in premium seat availability and about 4,400 additional monthly seats.

Air India already operates 10 weekly Delhi-Toronto flights, seven of which are being flown by the new Boeing 787-9 this winter, with the remaining three switching from the 777-300ER to the Dreamliner from January 2027.

By January 2027, Air India expects all of its Toronto services from both Delhi and Mumbai to be operated with new or freshly upgraded cabin interiors across both aircraft types.

Toronto Pearson International Airport is Canada’s busiest airport and a key hub for connections onward to other North American cities, making it a strategic anchor point for Air India’s Canada network.

Photo by AVA Navigate, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Air India’s Delhi-Toronto route has turned non-stop from August 1, with a new Boeing 787-9 aircraft deployed and the earlier fuel stop at Vienna removed.

The change is expected to cut close to three hours off the journey, bringing flying time down to about 17 hours from around 20 hours with the fuel stop.

The return Toronto-Delhi leg will remain non-stop, with a flying time of up to 16 hours.

Air India is also increasing frequency on the route from five weekly flights to a daily service starting August 1.

The new 787-9 aircraft on the route features 30 private suites in Business Class, 28 Premium Economy seats and 238 Economy seats, with cabins combining contemporary design and Indian-inspired aesthetics.

Air India said the removal of the fuel stop is subject to available airspace along the route.

The move is part of the airline’s wider fleet modernisation drive, which has introduced new aircraft and refreshed cabins across several international routes.

Vienna had served as the fuel stop on the Delhi-Toronto sector for several years before this change.

Air India also reinstated its codeshare agreement with Air Canada in December 2025, five years after it was suspended during the pandemic, giving customers access to additional points across Canada beyond its own network.

Every seat aboard the new aircraft is equipped with Thales’ AVANT Up in-flight entertainment system, featuring high-definition screens, Bluetooth headphone pairing and modern charging points.

Toronto ranks among Air India’s several direct North American destinations, alongside cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Vancouver.

Vienna had served as the enroute fuel stop for the Delhi-Toronto sector for several years, adding significantly to overall journey time for passengers travelling between India and Canada.

Air India has been steadily inducting new aircraft and refreshing cabin products across its international network as part of a broader fleet modernisation programme in recent years.

(Image: Photo by Steve Knight, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)