Air India Express resumes flights to Mumbai

Air India Express has confirmed that it is to re-offer passengers the chance to take flights to Mumbai from Bahrain.

The carrier is to offer the service twice a week and will also enable travellers to connect with flights to Bangalore and Ahmedabad.

It is expected that the flight will leave Bahrain at 14.05 for the city of Mumbai.

Air India has a fleet of 24 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with all offering economy class facilities and each with a capacity of around 180 seats.

As well as offering domestic flights within India, the airline flies to 14 other international destinations- Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Muscat, Salalah, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait, Columbo and Dhaka.

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India Travel - Information, Tips & Suggestions

India is definitely one of the world’s major tourist destinations and boasts of incredible cultural heritage along with remarkable architectural marvels.

At any given point of time, there are thousands of foreigners looking forward to enjoy an enjoyable and pleasant tour to India. While holidays to India are undeniably mesmerising, proper planning must be done in order to experience perfect vacations.

Planning

Take care of the below mentioned tips before booking seats on flights to India.

• Multiple entry visa makes more sense than a single entry visa as it offers the scope of re-entering India after one has taken a detour to some neighbouring country.

• It is suggested that tourists carry photocopies of all the important documents with them.

• Avoid arriving in India without a prior hotel booking.

Health

• Make sure you have a comprehensive medical insurance before actually catching flights to India as private hospitals in the metros tend to be costly.

• Carry your medications with you, and also carry some common non-prescription medicines.

• Be extra cautious about food and water hygiene.

Seasons in India

Although, travellers buy flight tickets to India throughout the year, the period between October and February is generally regarded as the best time to visit India. Not surprisingly cheap tickets to India are highly sought after during this period. Even in summers one can find cool retreat from the scorching heat at places like Simla, Ooty and Manali. Spring and autumn are other favourable periods to buy cheap tickets on flights to India.

Supernatural Thrills in India

Reasons are aplenty for hopping aboard one of the cheap flights to India. Other than its hundreds of tourist trappings, the country also offers quite a few places to those who are intrigued with the supernatural. Here are just two of the most famous of such places, which prove well worth buying one’s cheap tickets to.

Bhangarh, Rajasthan

The Bhangarh ruins in Rajasthan are perhaps the most famously haunted place in India. The city is said to have been destroyed due to some curse and the Archaeological Survey of India has put up a signboard telling visitors not to enter after dusk. People claim that mysterious images have come up in their snapshots and the atmosphere is very strange. Besides ghost hunting in Bhangarh, most people who catch flights to India, also visit Rajasthan for checking out the other numerous forts and monuments.

Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad

Hyderabad is another lovely Indian destination worth taking a flight to. Amongst its numerous magnetic attractions, Ramoji Film City has a special claim to fame. Someone buying entry tickets to the place would never be able to guess the extent of paranormal activity reported here. It is said that unseen entities have pushed light men to the ground from great heights and strange writings have turned up on mirrors. Women are at the worst receiving end of these ghostly activities. There have been reports that invisible hands have even torn their clothes. Some people opine that Ramoji Film City is built on the war ground of Nizam Sultans and has seen much bloodshed.

Other Haunted Locations in India

Khooni Darwaaza in Delhi
Mahim, D'souza chawl area of Mumbai
The Raj Kiran Hotel, Lonawala, Pune
The Shaniwarwada Fort, Pune
Writers' Building, Kolkata

Popular Wildlife Destinations on Travel to India

Many people travel to India to explore the famous jungles of the country. Amongst a slew of irresistible choices, some of the most popular picks are Corbett National Park, Ranthambore National Park, Gir National Park, and Sunderbans National Park.

India is full of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks many of which used to be the hunting grounds for the Maharajas and colonial masters of the bygone era. Every year, these wildlife holiday destinations attract thousands of visitors from different parts of the globe. A major reason behind the popularity of Indian forests is the economy factor as going on a wildlife tour to quite a few other countries works out to be much more expensive than visiting India’s jungles. Furthermore, the growing popularity of India on the tourist radar has also prompted many airlines to operate cheap flights to India. This has led to increasing competition and the availability of more and more cheap tickets for travellers. Anyone planning to visit India on a wildlife tour should definitely consider the following four places.

Corbett National Park

Sprawling over a humongous area in the hill state of Uttarakhand, the Corbett National Park was the erstwhile hunting ground of the legendary Englishman, Colonel Jim Corbett. Besides being home to the majestic Indian tiger, the park teems with dozens of other varieties of wildlife such as leopards, herds of wild elephants, wild boars, different deer species, and snakes and crocodiles to name a few. For many years, Corbett National Park has been the highlight of countless visitors’ travel to India. There are excellent accommodation facilities in areas near the Park as well as right in the heart of the jungle. One of the best ways to explore Corbett National Park is by going on an elephant safari. Bus and Jeep tours are available as well. Before visiting Corbett, one should be mindful of the fact that the best jungle experience is felt by staying inside the park rather than putting up in accommodation facilities outside the park’s boundaries.

Ranthambore National Park

The Ranthambore National Park is located in the desert state of Rajasthan. By visiting this park, it also becomes convenient to take a historical odyssey through Rajasthan and add more value to one’s expenditure on flights to India. In fact, the Ranthambore Fort is part of the forest. Besides being home to the big cats like tigers and leopards, Ranthambore National Park is also full of sloth bears, wild boars, sambhars, nilgais, dholes, and chitals. One of the best places in the park for catching glimpses of wildlife is Bakula as an abundance of watering holes and pools attracts many animals to this area and lucky visitors even get to see tigresses basking in the sun with their cubs. For touring the jungle, one has to buy tickets for bus or jeep safaris. Early mornings are the best times for taking these safaris.

Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary

The Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is absolutely not to be missed during one’s India holidays. It is the sole surviving home of Asiatic lions. Another big cat to be found here is the leopard. Besides, there are various other forms of fauna life such as wild boars, blue bull or nilgai, striped hyenas, chousinghas or four horned antelopes, as well as numerous bird species like Saras Crane, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, crested serpent eagle, and red headed falcon. Gir also has plenty of reptiles and enjoys a robust marsh crocodile population. Most visitors take the morning and evening drives into the forest and utilise the time in between visit the famous temples of Somnath such as Shore Temple, Sun Temple, and Ahilya Temple.

Sunderbans National Park

This UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve is well-known for its dense mangrove forests and man eating Royal Bengal tigers. Even today, there is no consensus amongst scientists as to why tigers here are naturally man eaters. In fact, there is local superstition in the area that one is lucky not to see a tiger in Sunderbans as the person will end up as a meal for the tiger. Sunderbans also does not lack in aquatic and reptilian life forms such as crocodiles, olive ridley sea turtles, king cobras, hardshelled batgur terrapin, and chequered killbacks. For birdwatchers, the park is a veritable treat to the eyes with its exotic winged denizens such as herons, terns, white bellied sea eagles, whimprels, and eastern knots. A launch safari through the waters of Sunderban is one of the major draws here.

Buddha Air launches Indian flights

A Nepalese airline is planning to launch new flights to India as it continues to expand.

Buddha Air recently developed from a domestic provider in Nepal to an international carrier by introducing flights to Bhutan and is now offering flights to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

"We are starting with a 47-seater aircraft but will switch over to a bigger one once it catches on," Buddha Air's marketing manager, Rupesh Joshi, told IANS.

He added: "By March, we hope to start flights to Kolkata."

The carrier currently operates flights to nine destinations across Nepal and is set to offer three flights per week to Lucknow on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. If successful, Buddha Air has already been granted permission to offer flights to Kolkata, Varanasi and Patna.

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Explosive Growth Projections for Flights to India

By 2028, the Indian aviation sector is projected to be worth about $100 billion to $135 billion, which is in tune with the dizzying prediction of approximately $3.1 trillion for the global aircraft market as a whole.

There are massive growth projections for the demand for flights to India (also flights from India) and other Asian destinations, with India alone touted to require approximately 1,032 aircraft by 2028. India is expected to add numerous large aircraft like Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 to its fleet. The figures suggest that the rate of travel by air in India is set to be amongst the highest in the world.

In fact, going by further market tips, the next ten years would see India emerging as the fastest growing nation in terms of air travel, with an average annual increase of 12.2% in domestic air traffic.

According to suggestions forwarded by Boeing, India would require 1,000 commercial jets over the next couple of years. From a business perspective, it appears to be a sound advice to invest in the country’s aviation industry as both high end and lower cost carriers would be in the fray to increase their fleets.

There is more to India than meets the eye !

There is more to India than meets the eye! I found out on my first encounter with this enigmatic country. The country never ceases to surprise its visitors with its natural grandeur, customs and traditions, an effervescent culture and warmth of its people. It took me far less to fall in love with the country!

Like many others, a date with the Taj Mahal, an astounding architectural marvel unimaginable in the 17^th century left me spell bound. Mere glimpse of this grand mausoleum built in white marble where Mumtaz Mahal lies entombed with Shah Jahan, the emperor of India who built it, leaves you wondering about the profundity of their love. I encountered more grandeur as I completed the sightseeing tours of Delhi, Jaipur, Udaipur, Agra, and Fatehpur Sikri.

Having heard a lot about the soothing and comforting Ayurvedic message at a resort in Kerala, I decided to go for it. The immense relaxation which I was till now alien to caused me to wonder how these fifteenth century treatments could heal 21st century stresses.

India, as I realized is one place where new experiences would awaken your spirit and enrich your mind, body and soul.

The travel and tourism industry of India is growing in a fast pace that never expected before. Even recently a huge decline in airfares of airlines has attracted thousands of international travellers to take flights to India. The Common Wealth game in Delhi at 2010 has made it in the list of top travel destinations to visit in 2010. The ever growing commercial sector of India has become the hub of many outsourcing businesses. But there’s more than what meets the eye. Visit the land of world’s most powerful democratic country and find it yourself.