Pondicherry to Chennai Flights

Chennai International Airport (IATA: MAA), formerly Madras Airport, is the third busiest airport in India. It is located around 21 km southwest of the city centre. There are three terminals: Terminal 1, also known as Kamaraj Terminal, handles domestic arrivals and departures, Terminal 3 is for international arrivals and Terminal 4 is for international departures. The busiest air routes from Chennai are Dubai, Colombo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Doha, Bangkok, Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong and are operated by leading airlines like IndiGo, Alliance Air, Blue Dart Aviation, Trujet and Spice Jet; and is a focus city for Air India and GoAir. The airport complex is well-developed with excellent facilities and services. Several restaurants and bars in the complex serve delicious food and a large variety of cuisines. The shopping plaza engages people with duty-free shops and brands from all over the world. The airport is replete with information counters, tourist and railway information booths, currency exchange counter, vending machines, luggage carts, a lost and found counter and various other services to make your time at the airport comfortable. The airport has excellent connectivity to the city via public buses, taxis, metro and rental cars.

Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, is home to countless people, cultures and traditions. Located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, it is called the ìGateway to South India" owing to its cultural and administrative importance in the southern part of the country. The city was previously called Madras; the name Chennai came from Chennapatnam, the town which was developed around Fort St. George, built by the British in 1640 CE. It is rightly called the oldest modern city because, since the colonial period, it has served as the backbone of tourism, heritage, industry, administration, sports and biodiversity in southern India. Chennai is a city of coffee and cosy cafes, street food and dusky dawns, cinema and songs, beaches and hills, temples and monuments, Carnatic music and traditional dances, trade and commerce. The features of the city are countless; the fourth largest city of India, home to Asia's most extensive library, the automobile hub of South India, connected through an extensive metro network are just a few to mention. It is a warm and humid city with an average temperature of 32∞C during summer and (25 ∞C) during winter. The diversity of Chennai makes it a land of several languages, festivals and religions. While Tamil is the official language, English, Urdu, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, French and Malayalam are also spoken across the city. Almost all religions of India, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Christianity and Buddhism, are practised in the city.

Pondicherry Airport (IATA: PNY) is a domestic airport with only one terminal. It is situated in Lawspet, around 3 km from the city centre. The Airport Authority of India maintains the airport and is equipped with basic services to ensure comfort and convenience for the passengers like clean drinking water, a baggage conveyor and trolleys, a tourist information centre, good security, and a differently-abled people-friendly infrastructure. The airport has good connectivity with other domestic airports, and major airlines that operate here are SpiceJet, Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo and others. The best way to reach or travel from the airport is via readily available taxis.

Pondicherry, a small city along the coast of the Bay of Bengal, has witnessed a history of dual culture. The town's original name was Putucceri, meaning 'new village'; the name was changed to Pondicherry after the French invasion, and later in 2006, it became Puducherry. Pondicherry was the most prominent French colony in India; hence, even today, French influence can be seen in its food, architecture, language and lifestyle, giving tourists a perfect glimpse of eastern and western cultures. It is a city of temples and churches, delectable French cuisine and delicious local recipes, beaches and water sports, marvellous French architecture and spiritual ashrams. The weather in Pondicherry is hot and humid most of the year. The most pleasant months are December, January and February. The average monthly temperature is 24.5 ∫C during winters and 40.5 ∫C during summers. The primary language spoken throughout the city is Tamil. Despite French influence, French is no longer the official language and has largely been replaced by English. Telugu and Malayalam are two other official languages, but their use is confined to specific communities. A majority of people follow Hinduism in Pondicherry. Other religions practised are Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.