Country Information

Flights to India are available from several national and international carriers. The major national airline in India is Air India (AI) (www.airindia.com) which merged with Indian Airlines in February 2011. There are also several commercial Indian airlines that have added international destinations to their schedules such as Jet Airways (9W) (www.jetairways.com), Kingfisher Airlines (IT) (www.flykingfisher.com) and IndiGo Airlines (I9) (www.goindigo.in). Flights to India maintain their prices throughout the year but become more expensive in peak season June and July and in December.

Rs500 Departure Tax is normally included in the price of the air ticket - check with your booking agent.

A new state-of-the-art terminal building opened at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport in 2010. Terminal 3 boasts available Wi-Fi at no cost with 24/7 support and power charging stations. There is a procedure to access the Wi-Fi which may be elusive so check how to on the airport’s web site. Five airports - Lucknow, Varanasi, Mangalore, Tiruchirapalli and Coimbatore - have been upgraded to international status, and are expected to carry a greater number of international routes in 2013.

Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM). (www.csia.in) Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is located 30km (19 miles) north of central Mumbai. Tel: <p>(022) 6685 1010.</p>.

New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL). (www.newdelhiairport.in) New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport is located 23km (14 miles) southwest of central Delhi. Tel: <p>(0124) 337 6000.</p>.

Kolkata Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU). (www.kolkatainternationalairport.com) Kolkata Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is located at Dum Dum, 18km (11 miles) to the northeast of central Kolkata. Tel: <p>+91 33 2511 8036.</p>.

Chennai International Airport (MAA). (www.aai.aero) Chennai International Airport is located in Tirisulam, 19km (12 miles) southwest of central Chennai. Tel: <p>(044) 2256 1122.</p>.

Trivandrum International Airport (TRV). (www.aai.aero) Trivandrum International Airport is located 4km (2.5 miles) west of central Thiruvananthapuram (formerly Trivandrum), the capital of Kerala. Tel: <p>(471) 500 0283.</p>.

Kempegowda International Airport (BLR). (www.bengaluruairport.com) Kempegowda International Airport is situated 40km (25 miles) from Bengaluru, in Devanahalli. Tel: <p>(80) 6678 2425 or 6678 2251</p>.

Most people arrive in India by air or overland. Seaports levy the following departure tax: Rs500 (for journeys to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka); Rs750 (all other destinations).

Indian ports are also served by several international shipping companies and several cruise lines. There are, however, no regular passenger liners operating to South East Asia.

Indian Railways (www.indianrail.gov.in) run most international services. Connections to Pakistan: From India you can cross into Pakistan at the international Attari/Wagah border. There are bus and train services between India and Pakistan. Approaching the border away from the official crossing point may be dangerous. Connections to Nepal: The most practical and popular route to Nepal is by train to Raxaul (Bihar) and then by bus to Kathmandu or by train to Gorakphur (or bus if coming from Varanasi) and then by bus to Kathmandu crossing the border at Sunauli; also, by train to Nantanwa (UP) and then by bus to Kathmandu/Pokhara, or Bhairawa to Lumbini for Pokhara. It is also possible to make the crossing from Darjeeling and Sikkim by bus to Kathmandu across the southern lowlands. Connections to Bhutan: The best way of reaching Bhutan by land is by bus/train to Siliguri, then bus to Phuentsholing. Connections to Bangladesh: The most convenient route to Bangladesh is Kolkata (Calcutta) to Dhaka by bus. Another route is from Darjeeling via Siliguri, then train or bus from Jalpaiguri to Haldibari, or bus to Changrabandha. Currently, no land frontiers are open between India and Myanmar or between India and China (PR).

Be prepared for long queues at ticket windows in train stations. Services are almost always busy, especially overnight trains, so it pays to book in advance.