Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], May 15 (ANI): Air India on Friday commenced operations to Ludhiana (Halwara), becoming the first airline to operate commercial services to the newly operational airport, connecting Ludhiana to Delhi and beyond to destinations around the world.

Air India in an official statement, said the inaugural flight from Delhi landed at Ludhiana's Halwara airport at 7:03 am today, and the return flight from Ludhiana departed at 8 am.

Air India will operate two daily flights between Delhi and Ludhiana using its A320 family aircraft, the statement read.

The new flights to and from Ludhiana are timed to offer seamless onward connectivity via Delhi to Air India's international network, including to destinations such as London, Paris, Milan, Rome, and Birmingham, enabling guests to travel seamlessly using a single ticket and unified baggage allowance, with through check-in of baggage.

Air India guests will also enjoy the convenience of same-terminal transfers at Delhi airport to connect between their domestic and international flights.

The airline announced the following daily flight schedule between Delhi and Ludhiana (Halwara): AI481 will depart from Delhi at 5:55 am and arrive in Ludhiana at 7:05 am, while AI482 will depart from Ludhiana at 7:55 am and reach Delhi at 9:10 am.

Similarly, AI483 will depart Delhi at 12:55 pm and arrive in Ludhiana at 2:10 pm, while AI484 will depart Ludhiana at 2:40 pm and land in Delhi at 3:55 pm.

Meanwhile, Air India had earlier announced a temporary rationalisation of several international routes through August 2026 due to ongoing airspace restrictions in certain regions and record-high jet fuel prices impacting operational viability.

According to an earlier statement issued by the airline, despite temporary reductions on select routes, Air India will continue operating over 1,200 international flights every month across five continents.

The airline had also stated that affected passengers on revised international routes would be provided alternative travel arrangements, free date changes or full refunds, as applicable. (ANI)