Alliance Air began direct flights between Bhopal and Patna from Monday, August 10, 2026.

The service runs three days a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays, on a 70-seater aircraft.

The introductory one-way fare from Patna to Bhopal has been set at Rs 4,622, while the Bhopal-to-Patna fare starts at Rs 4,483.

The new route connects Madhya Pradesh’s capital directly with Bihar’s capital, a link expected to benefit Bihar-origin residents in Madhya Pradesh, as well as traders and business travellers.

The Bhopal-Patna launch forms part of a wider Alliance Air expansion, which has also introduced Bhopal-Rewa, Rewa-Kolkata and Jabalpur-Kolkata services this week.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav flagged off the inaugural flights on the new routes to expand regional air connectivity.

The route expansion is part of the government’s broader regional connectivity push, which has historically supported smaller carriers in launching thinner routes between tier-2 and tier-3 cities that larger airlines have found commercially unviable.

Passengers travelling on the new Bhopal-Patna and related routes can book tickets through Alliance Air’s official channels as well as major travel booking platforms.

Regional carriers like Alliance Air typically rely on lower operating costs and smaller aircraft to make thin routes financially viable, a model that has enabled steady growth in India’s regional air network over the past several years.

The Bhopal-Patna service is one of four new Alliance Air routes launched this week connecting Madhya Pradesh with other states, alongside Bhopal-Rewa, Rewa-Kolkata and Jabalpur-Kolkata.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav flagged off the inaugural flights on the new routes, part of a broader push to expand regional air connectivity across central and eastern India.

Officials said the direct Bhopal-Patna link is expected to benefit the large population from Bihar residing in Madhya Pradesh, as well as traders, businesspeople and other travellers moving between the two states.

Photo by Quintin Soloviev, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Akasa Air has debuted Akasa Elevate, its new loyalty programme, to mark the airline’s fourth anniversary of commercial operations.

Members can earn points on eligible flights and ancillary products and services, with passengers who have flown since April 1 this year able to join and claim points retrospectively.

Founder and CEO Vinay Dube said the programme reflects Akasa Air’s philosophy of putting customers first, calling the airline’s journey so far ‘extremely exciting.’

Dube said the loyalty programme launch is a natural extension of the carrier’s positioning as an ‘Experience-Led Carrier’ and a way of thanking its customers.

Akasa Elevate offers fast tier progression via eligible flights or spending, earnings on flights and ancillary products with extra rewards for direct bookings, and unlimited priority services as members climb tiers.

Akasa Air began commercial operations on August 7, 2022, and has since grown its domestic and international network, including routes to Gulf destinations such as Doha.

Akasa Air has positioned the loyalty programme as part of a broader push to deepen relationships with repeat customers as the airline’s route network and flight frequency have grown since its 2022 launch.

Akasa Air positions itself as an ‘Experience-Led Carrier,’ and Dube described the loyalty programme launch as a natural extension of that philosophy and a way of thanking customers.

The programme features fast tier progression based on either eligible flights or spending, earnings on flights and ancillary products, extra rewards for direct bookings, and unlimited priority services as members climb through membership tiers.

Akasa Air began commercial operations on August 7, 2022, and has since expanded its domestic and international network, including routes to Gulf destinations such as Doha.

The airline said its rapid growth over four years has been built on a young, all-Boeing 737 MAX fleet and a focus on operational reliability across its expanding route network.

Photo by Krish Aarush, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and Akasa Air have issued travel advisories warning of possible flight delays as heavy monsoon rain continues affecting Delhi on Saturday, August 8.

IndiGo said adverse weather conditions were impacting flight operations in Delhi, warning of extended wait times and asking passengers to check status before heading to the airport.

SpiceJet said bad weather could affect all departures, arrivals and consequential flights, while Air India pointed to adverse weather and airport congestion as reasons for disruption.

Akasa Air separately cautioned passengers about slow-moving traffic and congestion on roads to the airport due to heavy rainfall and waterlogging.

The advisories follow Delhi’s wettest August day so far on Friday, when Lodhi Road and Safdarjung recorded 60.4mm and 59.2mm of rain respectively, prompting a red alert for parts of the city.

South Delhi’s MB Road near the Air Force Station saw major flooding again on Saturday, with several arterial roads reporting slow traffic due to continued waterlogging.

Humidity levels in Delhi hovered around 98 percent during the height of Friday’s downpour, with temperatures expected to stay below seasonal norms as the wet spell continues into the weekend.

Delhi recorded its wettest August day so far on Friday, with rainfall gauges at Lodhi Road and Safdarjung logging 60.4mm and 59.2mm respectively in the 24 hours ending 8:30am.

The India Meteorological Department had earlier issued a red alert for Delhi during a three-hour window on Friday morning, before downgrading to orange alerts across most of the city through the rest of the day.

At least nine houses collapsed and 16 trees fell across the capital since Thursday night, with three women requiring rescue after a tree struck their residence.

Yellow alerts remained in effect for Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar, with the IMD’s Saturday morning bulletin, issued at 9:15am, forecasting continued rain over Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh.

Photo by Koshy Koshy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0