Mumbai : Low-cost carrier IndiGo on Tuesday (Dec 26) announced daily direct flights between Mumbai and Ayodhya from January 15, becoming the first airline to link the financial capital to the temple town, which is rapidly developing into a major international pilgrimmage centre.

IndiGo flight 6E 5378 will depart Mumbai at 12.30 pm and reach Ayodhya at 2.45 pm, while the return flight 6E 5379 will depart Ayodhya at 3.15 pm and reach Mumbai at 5.40 pm, the airline said.

Earlier, on December 13, IndiGo became the first airline to link the Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram International Airport in Ayodhya to Delhi, capitalising on the BJP government’s ambitious plan to inaugurate the Ram temple and catapult it into the list of major pilgrimage centre for the Hindus globally. The temple is scheduled to be inaugurated on January 22.

The airline, known for aggressively expanding its footprint in new domestic markets, will operate the inaugural flight on the Delhi-Ayodhya sector on December 30 and open its commercial operations in the sector from January 6. It has already announced flights from Ahmedabad to Ayodhya from January 11 and has now linked Mumbai to the Uttar Pradesh town with a daily flight.

Vinay Malhotra, head of global sales, IndiGo said, “These new routes will significantly promote travel, tourism, and trade in the region, contributing to economic growth and providing tourists direct access to Ayodhya, through the 6E network across India as well as overseas.”

On December 20, Air India Express, the low-cost carrier of Air India group, also announced Delhi-Ayodhya flights from December 30. The airline will also provide one-stop itineraries connecting Ayodhya to destinations like Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Kochi, Guwahati, Goa, Gwalior, Jaipur, Pune, Surat, Srinagar, and Sharjah.

Recently, Air India Express also became the first airline to operate a direct flight from Surat to Dubai on the very day when the Surat International Airport had its new international terminal inaugurated.