Spicejet Hyderabad-Pondichery direct flight

Those visiting Pondichery had to by default land in Chennai and go by road to Pondy. The 150 km taxi ride easily costs around Rs 4000 to Rs 9000 depending on type of car, 1 day/2 day etc. Plus the road journey takes 4-5 hours in total. Toll, interstate permit fee and other expenses also add up.

Tourists now have an option to fly in to Pondichery directly. Spicejet has introduced direct flight between Hyderabad and Pondichery. Spicejet is taking advantage of Govt of India's UDAN (Udega Desh ka Aam Nagarik) scheme that subsidies short haul flights to poorly connected tier 2/tier 3 cities.

Quick Summary:

• Airline: Spicejet
• Destination: Pondicherry  (Pondy/Puducherry)
• Airport Code: PNY
• Flight from: Hyderabad
• Frequency: Daily
• Aircraft: Bombardier Q400
• Departure Timing: Pondy-Hyd: 11.40 AM, Hyd Pondy- 10AM
• Price: Max Rs 2750
• From: 16th August

Spicejet flight will leave Hyd at 10.00 AM, arrive at Pondy at 11.20 AM, fly back to Hyd at 11.40 AM. Fare is capped at 2500 one way + Rs 225 per person convenience fee. Frequency is daily. Don't miss your flight, because there'll be no other flight out of town until next day!

If you're visiting Pondichery from other part of India, it might be more convenient to fly direct there via Hyd than flying to Chennai and traveling by road. But if you fly direct, you will miss the opportunity to experience the scenic east coast road, world heritage site Mahabalipuram and other attractions between Chennai and Pondy.

Spicejet had put some flights between Puduchery and Bengaluru in 2013 but had to discontinue due to poor load factor. Hopefully this time they will get enough flyers to keep the route profitable. What they have deployed is a 78 seater Bombardier Q400. So I guess if they can get at least 50 passengers on an average, the flight can cover its expenses and sustain. There are 35-40 direct flights between Chennai n Hyderabad every day- getting 50 passengers to fly direct to Pondy shouldn't be a problem. All the best from the Airline Blog for this new flight.

Passengers flying out of Vijayawada also will have a more convenient/quicker connect to Pondy as the Vijayawada-Hyderabad flight will be flying onwards to Pondy.

What to see in Pondy?
Pondichery is a former french colony and offers pristine beaches, colonial buildings, great food, cheap alcohol and more. Aurobindo ashram, Auroville attract lots of tourists. There're backwaters and even a house boat company is in operation.

I am curious to see of Pondichery police will check outbound tourists for alcohol bottles at Pondy airport. On the road they search cars and buses and seize alcohol bottles if they can find any.

Within 150 kms from Pondicherry you can explore Pichavaram, Mahabalipuram, Chidambaram and so on. Luckily Pondicherry airport is not too far from city- you won't have to spend a bomb on taxi to reach your hotel.

Do you like this flight? If you're visiting Pondy, would you prefer this flight via Hyd or prefer to land in Chennai and take road?