Air India starts Khajuraho, Mumbai-Jaisalmer flights on October 25
By Meera IyerGovernance & Policy Editor, Peepals Bharat
Representative image: Fuzz / Pixabay
Air India begins daily Khajuraho flights on a Delhi-Varanasi loop and a Mumbai-Jaisalmer non-stop on October 25, 2026, as the winter schedule starts.
What Happened
Air India will start daily flights to Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh and a new daily non-stop route between Mumbai and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan on Sunday, October 25, 2026, the first day of the airline industry's winter schedule. According to the airline, Khajuraho will be linked daily with both Delhi and Varanasi on a triangular route, and the airline is also adding a second daily flight between Delhi and Gaya in Bihar. The services were announced earlier in the year and take effect with the winter timetable.
Key Facts
- Start date: October 25, 2026, the start of the winter schedule.
- Khajuraho: daily flights connecting Delhi, Khajuraho and Varanasi in a loop. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays the route runs Delhi-Khajuraho-Varanasi-Delhi; on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays it runs Delhi-Varanasi-Khajuraho-Delhi.
- Jaisalmer: a new daily seasonal non-stop service from Mumbai, adding to the existing daily Delhi-Jaisalmer flights.
- Gaya: one more daily Delhi-Gaya frequency, giving travellers both morning and afternoon departures each way.
- Air India says passengers from international cities on its network, including London Heathrow, Birmingham and Amsterdam, can connect through Delhi to Khajuraho, Varanasi or Gaya.
- Khajuraho and Jaisalmer are home to UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Khajuraho temples and Jaisalmer Fort.
Why It Matters
Khajuraho, Jaisalmer, Varanasi and Gaya are among India's best-known heritage and pilgrimage destinations. For a traveller from Mumbai heading to Jaisalmer's desert and fort, a direct daily flight means a single hop instead of a connection.
The triangular Khajuraho route is designed for a particular kind of trip. Many visitors combine Khajuraho's medieval temples, famous for their stone carving, with Varanasi's ghats and temples on the Ganga. Flying Delhi-Khajuraho-Varanasi-Delhi lets a traveller cover both without backtracking, and the alternating direction on different days gives some flexibility in planning the order of visits.
The extra Delhi-Gaya flight serves Bodh Gaya, where, according to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha attained enlightenment, and which draws pilgrims from across Asia in the winter months. More frequencies mean more choice of timings and, potentially, more seats at lower fares.
For foreign visitors, the airline is pitching the new routes as part of its international network. A traveller flying in from London Heathrow, Birmingham or Amsterdam can, according to Air India, connect through Delhi to Khajuraho, Varanasi or Gaya, which makes a heritage or pilgrimage trip possible without separate domestic bookings.
The timing follows the airline industry's seasonal calendar. Airlines worldwide switch to a winter timetable on the last Sunday of October, and Indian carriers use the change to add routes for the cooler months, when travel to Rajasthan, central India and the Gangetic plains is most popular.
What should travellers do? Check the timings and fares on the airline's own website before booking, as schedules can change. Those planning a heritage circuit can now consider flying into one city and out of another rather than returning by the same route.
| Route | Frequency | From |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi-Khajuraho-Varanasi (loop) | Daily | October 25, 2026 |
| Mumbai-Jaisalmer | Daily, non-stop, seasonal | October 25, 2026 |
| Delhi-Gaya | Second daily flight added | October 25, 2026 |
Impact
Short-term: Tourists and pilgrims get more direct options for the winter and festival travel season, which begins with Diwali on November 8. Hotels, guides and taxi operators in Khajuraho and Jaisalmer may see more visitors arriving by air.
Long-term: Regular flights to smaller heritage towns can support local economies that depend on tourism, and help spread visitors beyond the most crowded destinations. Whether the routes last will depend on how full the flights are over the season.
Who is affected: domestic and foreign tourists, Buddhist pilgrims travelling to Bodh Gaya, residents of Khajuraho, Jaisalmer and Gaya who need air links, and the tourism businesses in these towns.
Key Takeaway
From October 25, 2026, Air India will fly daily to Khajuraho on a Delhi-Varanasi loop, start a daily non-stop Mumbai-Jaisalmer service and add a second Delhi-Gaya flight for the winter season.
Questions and Answers
When do Air India's Khajuraho flights start?
Daily Khajuraho flights start on October 25, 2026, on a triangular route linking Delhi, Khajuraho and Varanasi, according to Air India.
Is there a direct flight from Mumbai to Jaisalmer?
Yes. Air India starts a daily non-stop seasonal Mumbai-Jaisalmer service on October 25, 2026, in addition to its existing daily Delhi-Jaisalmer flights.
How does the Delhi-Khajuraho-Varanasi route work?
On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays it runs Delhi-Khajuraho-Varanasi-Delhi; on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays it runs Delhi-Varanasi-Khajuraho-Delhi.
What is the winter schedule?
It is the seasonal airline timetable that starts on the last Sunday of October, October 25 this year, when airlines add or change routes for the winter months.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Meera Iyer, Governance & Policy EditorCovers Governance & Policy and more for Peepals Bharat. All stories by Meera Iyer
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Meera Iyer is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
