16-January-2025, Bangalore: As part of its strategy to connect emerging cities to key destinations across the country and beyond, Air India Express commenced operations from Patna today, launching three inaugural flights in a single day – to Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, and Hyderabad. Bengaluru, often regarded as India’s ‘Silicon Valley’ and a hub for technology and innovation; Bhubaneswar, the ‘Temple City’ and an emerging centre for tourism and economic development; and Hyderabad, the ‘City of Pearls’ and a leading IT and pharmaceutical hub, are now directly connected to Patna by Air India Express, paving the way for enhanced economic activity and greater opportunities for travellers and businesses alike.
A celebratory event was held at Patna Airport to mark the occasion, with the inaugural flights taking off amidst much enthusiasm. The celebration was graced by senior officials of Airport Authority of India, Air India Express, and other key stakeholders from the Jay Prakash Narayan Airport, Patna.
To commemorate the event, special boarding passes were presented to the first guests on the inaugural flights, symbolising the airline’s commitment to creating memorable travel experiences.
| Schedule from January 16, 2025 | ||||
| Departure | Arrival | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Frequency |
| Patna | Bengaluru | 09:05 | 11:45 | Daily |
| Bengaluru | Patna | 05:55 | 08:35 | Daily |
| Patna | Hyderabad | 13:45 | 15:55 | Daily |
| Hyderabad | Patna | 11:05 | 13:05 | Daily |
| Bhubaneswar | Patna | 14:55 | 16:20 | Daily |
| Patna | Bhubaneswar | 17:00 | 18:30 | Daily |
Air India Express is in a phase of rapid network expansion, supported by its growing fleet, which is on the cusp of reaching the 100-aircraft milestone. The airline recently surpassed the 50-destination mark, adding Dimapur, Dibrugarh, Sri Vijay Puram (Port Blair), Jammu, and now Patna to its domestic network, alongside Bangkok and Phuket on the international front. This growth has enabled a 30% increase in its winter schedule compared to last year, with the airline now operating more than 400 daily flights, up from over 325 during the same period last year.
From Patna: Air India Express operates 21 weekly flights from Patna, connecting directly to three domestic destinations: Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, and Hyderabad. Additionally, Air India Express offers convenient one-stop connectivity to Kozhikode, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Mangalore, Pune, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam, and two international destinations, including Abu Dhabi and Dammam.
From Bengaluru: Air India Express operates 419 weekly flights from Bengaluru connecting directly to 28 domestic destinations: Amritsar, Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Bhubaneshwar, Calicut, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Mumbai, Patna, Pune, Ranchi, Sri Vijaya Puram, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Varanasi, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam and two international destinations including Abu Dhabi and Dammam. The airline also offers one-stop itineraries connecting Bengaluru to six domestic destinations including Agartala, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Imphal, Jammu, and Srinagar. And 14 international destinations including Al Ain, Bahrain, Bangkok, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat, Phuket, Ras al Khaimah, Riyadh, Salalah, Sharjah, Singapore
From Bhubaneswar: Air India Express operates 104 weekly flights from Bhubaneswar connecting directly to 11 domestic destinations including Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna, and Pune. Additionally, the airline provides one-stop connectivity to 19 domestic destinations: Agartala, Amritsar, Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Goa, Guwahati, Imphal, Indore, Jammu, Kannur, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Ranchi, Srinagar, Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair), Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada, and Vishakhapatnam and 10 international destinations: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Bangkok, Dammam, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat, Riyadh, Sharjah, and Singapore.
From Hyderabad: Air India Express operates 208 weekly flights connecting Hyderabad with direct flights to 20 domestic destinations, including Bagdogra, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Gwalior, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Patna, Pune, Srinagar, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Varanasi, Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam as well as Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh and Phuket internationally. Additionally, Air India Express offers convenient one-stop connectivity from Hyderabad to 13 other domestic destinations, including Agartala, Amritsar, Ayodhya, Calicut, Delhi, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Imphal, Kannur, Mangaluru, Mumbai, Port Blair, Ranchi, and 10 international destinations including Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Bangkok, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Singapore.
Air India Express offers a convenient vacation booking platform, Xpress Holidays, which makes travel planning hassle-free. Accessible through the airline’s website, guests can book entire vacations, including flights, accommodation, transport, and experiences. The platform also offers specially curated packages that travellers personalise according to their preferences.