Domestic carrier IndiGo on Sunday started its daily flight services to Jaffna in Sri Lanka from Chennai. The new daily direct flights from Chennai to Jaffna cut down the travel time to the city from Chennai to 75 minutes, IndiGo said. IndiGo operates over 2,000 flights to 122 destinations including domestic and overseas.

This strategic route (Chennai-Jaffna) will strengthen the cultural and trade ties between India and Sri Lanka that have been marked by cooperation in various fields such as commerce, infrastructure development and air connectivity, among others, IndiGo said.

“This short but significant flight is a strategic addition, which is poised to further enhance trade and tourism between India and Sri Lanka. “The new daily direct flights from Chennai to Jaffna promise a shorter travel time of just 75 minutes,” said Vinay Malhotra, head of Global Sales at IndiGo.

The demand for travel between Chennai and Jaffna is evident, with over 21,000 passengers flying the route in just nine months last year, the airline said.