Alliance Air halts Kullu to Delhi direct flights till March 29

Alliance Air, the only airline operating flights to Kullu-Manali airport at Bhuntar, has temporarily suspended its direct flights from Kullu to Delhi until March 29.

But direct flights from Delhi to Kullu will continue to operate three times a week — on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. In the meantime, passengers travelling from Kullu to Delhi can opt for connecting flights via Chandigarh or Dehradun as the airline has adjusted its schedule to maintain connectivity through alternative routes.

Flights from Kullu to Chandigarh will now operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays while flights from Kullu to Dehradun are scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The return leg from Dehradun to Kullu will run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and will continue onward to Chandigarh.

Although there are no flights from Chandigarh back to Kullu, travellers can still reach Delhi by flying from Kullu to Chandigarh or Dehradun and then onward to the capital. These connecting routes are reportedly more economical than the direct Kullu–Delhi flights.

In addition to these changes, Alliance Air will operate return flights between Jaipur and Kullu on Sundays and Fridays, and between Kullu and Amritsar on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The ATR-72 aircraft will depart from Delhi at 7.20 am and arrive in Kullu at 8.40 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It will then depart from Kullu at 9 am for Amritsar, arriving at 10 am, and return to Kullu at 10.25 am, landing at 11.30 am. From there, it will leave for Dehradun at 11.50 am and arrive at 12.45 pm, before departing again at 1.15 pm for Delhi, where it is scheduled to land at 2.15 pm.

Since October last year, Alliance Air had already reduced its daily Kullu–Delhi operations to four days a week.

The latest update removes the direct Kullu-to-Delhi flight entirely though passengers can still travel to Delhi via connecting flights on all days except Sunday.

Bhupinder Thakur, chief patron of the Kullu Travel Agents Association, welcomed the revised schedule, stating that the new routing provides connectivity to Delhi at more affordable fares. He expressed optimism that the changes would lead to increased passenger numbers and praised Alliance Air’s efforts to expand its network, which he believes has significantly improved air connectivity to the Kullu region.