Now direct flights to Goa, Deoghar, Jaipur from Ranchi

• Birsa Munda International Airport is ready to fly direct to three new destinations
• Indigo will fly to Goa three days a week – Sunday, Monday and Friday
• For Jaipur, flights will be operated on three days – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

Birsa Munda International Airport is ready to fly direct to three new destinations. While taking off for Goa on Sunday, Ranchi got a direct flight to the temple town of Deoghar (Jharkhand) on Monday. Come Tuesday, passengers will be able to take a direct flight to Jaipur, Rajasthan.

“We are looking at boosting connectivity with the upcoming peak travel season (summer). Goa, Deoghar and Jaipur are new additions. Indigo will fly to Goa three days a week – Sunday, Monday and Friday. It will reach Ranchi from Goa on the mentioned days at 18:15 and depart at 18:45. Similarly, the carrier will operate a 72-seater ATR to Deoghar on Monday. The flight from Kolkata will arrive in Ranchi at 3:00 PM and depart for Deoghar at 3:25 PM. For Jaipur, flights will be operated on three days – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The aircraft will arrive from Jaipur at 9:05 and depart at 9:35,” an airport official informed.

Notably, the domestic summer flight schedule approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) came into effect on Sunday and will remain in effect until October 28. The schedule includes approved flights to six new destinations from Ranchi — Jaipur, Goa, Cochin, Mangalore, Visakhapatnam, Srinagar and Deoghar. New entry Akasa Airlines has also been approved to operate flights from Ranchi to Jaipur, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Explaining the move to operate direct flights, the official added that demand for the destinations is increasing. "However, the real response will drive the feasibility of the sector," he added.

Currently, it operates about 31 daily flights from Ranchi Airport to destinations like Lucknow, Bengaluru, Pune, Kolkata, Delhi, Bhubaneshwar, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Patna, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Chennai. Major operators include Indigo, Vistara and Go First.