HYDERABAD- India’s largest LCC, IndiGo Airlines (6E) has scheduled the new direct flights between Hyderabad (HYD) to Madinah (MED), also known as Medina in Saudi Arabia. The flight operations will start on February 20, 2025.
This is going to be IndiGo’s 38th international destination and fourth in Saudi Arabia after Jeddah (JED), Riyadh (RUH), and Dammam (DMM).
Photo: Mumbai Planes | Siddh DhuriIndiGo Hyderabad to Madinah Flights
Starting 20th February, IndiGo will fly 3X weekly between Hyderabad and Madinah. Reservations for the flights are now available with the below-mentioned schedule:
- 6E57 will leave Hyderabad at 07:35 pm IST. The flights will arrive in Madinah at 11:45 pm local time. The flight time will be 6 hours and 40 minutes.
- The return flight, 6E58 will leave Madinah at 12:45 am local time. The flight will reach Hyderabad at 08:10 am IST. The flight time will be 4 hours and 55 minutes.
The airline will operate Airbus A320neo aircraft in this sector.
Foreign pilgrims arrive at the airport before performing HajjIndia-Madinah market demand
From India, Madinah was the largest unserved market in Saudi Arabia in 2023. Jeddah is the biggest market in terms of demand from India. Medina is still 4th Largest market behind Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam.
- Delhi (DEL)–Medina is the largest market from India. In 2023, approximately 83,000 people flew between these two cities.
- Mumbai (BOM) is the 2nd largest market. Mumbai (BOM) – Madinah saw approximately 75,000 passengers in 2023.
- Hyderabad is the 3rd largest market from India. Hyderabad – Madinah sector had approximately 34,000 passengers in 2023.
However, the airline has decided to start flights to Madinah from Hyderabad instead, which was the third largest market. Its worth noting that Madinah is a heavily seasonal market. There is a huge demand for flights in the sector particularly during the Hajj season, with lots of Hajj pilgrims travelling to and from India.
The route will cater to religious travel, as Madinah houses one of the major religious sites. Madinah attracts millions of Muslim pilgrims annually. With this new route, IndiGo intends to offer its travelers a convenient option.
Photo: IndiGo LinkedIn PageIndiGo’s Presence and Expansion in Saudi Arabia
In 2024, IndiGo launched only one new route to Saudi Arabia. The airline launched daily Bengaluru–Jeddah flights. The airline also ended Kochi–Dammam flights in September 2024.
With the addition of Madinah, IndiGo will strengthen its position in the Middle Eastern market.
The airline currently operates flights to:
- Jeddah: from Delhi daily, Ahmedabad daily, Mumbai twice daily, Hyderabad daily, Bengaluru daily, and Kozhikode daily.
- Riyadh: from Delhi daily and Mumbai daily. The airline also flies 2x weekly from Hyderabad, but seasonally.
- Dammam: from Delhi daily, Lucknow daily, Mumbai daily, Hyderabad daily and Kozhikode daily.
Jeddah sees the maximum flights with 7x daily flights or 49x weekly flights. Dammam sees the next highest presence with 5x daily flights or 35x weekly flights. Riyadh sees the least presence with 2x daily flights or 14x weekly flights. 16x weekly when Hyderabad is operated seasonally.
The Hyderabad-Medina connection will now complement IndiGo’s existing network, aligning with its strategy to serve popular destinations for both religious and cultural travel.
Photo: EurospotBottom Line
Madinah is a heavily seasonal market. Hence, IndiGo seems to be cautious on this route, as the airline looks to start flying with 3x weekly frequency initially, even though the India-Madinah sector does have some strong numbers.
How the Hyderabad-Madinah sector will perform remains to be seen.
Featured and Other Images by Eurospot | X
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The post IndiGo Airlines Launching Hyderabad to Madinah Flights appeared first on Aviation A2Z.
