Over 10 lakh flyers to US, yet no direct connect from Hyderabad
HYDERABAD: Over 10 lakh passengers travel between Hyderabad and the United States every year. There are over 25 flights connecting Hyderabad to the US, operated by carriers such as Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, flydubai, Kuwait Airways, and Air India.
But all of them are hopping flights.
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has no direct flights to any of the American states, forcing flyers from the two Telugu states to transit through Mumbai, Delhi, or other Middle Eastern or European countries to reach their destinations in the US. This has led to longer and tiring travel schedules, especially for frequent flyers.
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For instance, passengers flying from Hyderabad to Dallas spend nearly 24 hours in transit, with layovers in cities like Dubai, Doha, Frankfurt, or London.
Direct US-India routes generally take 12 to 18 hours, depending on the destination.
Air India had kicked off a non-stop weekly service between Hyderabad and Chicago in Jan 2021, but it was discontinued in less than a year. The direct flight had a travel time of around 16 hours and 45 minutes.
Layovers add to fatigue
'The Hyderabad to Chicago route remains one of the busiest international routes, but direct services were discontinued unexpectedly.
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In the absence of nonstop options from Hyderabad or Bengaluru, travellers mostly transit via Delhi,' said Abdul Majeed Faheem, chairman, Travel Agents Federation of India (Telangana and AP).
Layover points like Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Frankfurt, London Heathrow, and Mumbai have become common for US-bound travellers from Hyderabad, despite increasing demand for direct services.
'Non-stop flights would ease travel for those visiting their loved ones in the US or coming home during holidays.
Right now, we spend 24 hours including layovers, which is tiring and inconvenient,' said R Anuroop, a techie who lives in Texas.
Data from GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd shows 8.5 lakh passengers travelled between Hyderabad and the US in 2020. This grew to 10 lakh in 2024 — a 30% rise over pre-Covid levels, the highest growth among Indian metro airports.
Passenger traffic is spread across the East Coast, West Coast, and Central US, with about 75% of travellers heading to cities like Dallas, New York, Newark, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Seattle, Boston, Los Angeles, and Washington DC.
The demand spans business travellers, students, leisure flyers, and those visiting friends and relatives. The GMR Group attributes the lack of direct connectivity to the short-term unavailability of wide-body aircraft and restricted airspace due to geopolitical issues.
Talks on with the airlines
'Given the strong passenger volume across multiple segments, airlines have been evaluating direct routes. We are in active talks with Indian and US carriers to establish direct flights,' said GHIAL CEO Pradeep Panicker.
Insiders say airlines prefer to concentrate US routes through Mumbai and Delhi to retain load viability, despite rising demand in Hyderabad. GHIAL also pointed out that Hyderabad-US is the largest unserved origin-and-destination market. On average, 1,462 passengers travel to the US daily, equivalent to five widebody aircraft. 'Establishing direct connectivity would boost travel frequency. Current demand supports a strong three-days-a-week service.
Peak business travel occurs from Feb to Aug, followed by high student movement,' Panicker added.
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