Cheapest Way to Reach Port Blair by Air from Lucknow, Jaipur and Indore in 2026: Chennai vs Kolkata vs Bengaluru Routing
By Diya Verma (Diya Verma decodes connecting-flight routing and all-in fares for travellers flying out of India's non-metro cities.) · Published · 11 min read
From Lucknow, Jaipur or Indore there's no single 'cheapest flight to Port Blair', because the price hinges entirely on which hub you connect through. This guide compares Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru routings and reveals the self-connecting hack that can shave a chunk off the all-in Andaman fare.
Why your connecting hub decides the price
Port Blair's Veer Savarkar International Airport (IXZ) has no direct flights from tier-2 cities like Lucknow, Jaipur or Indore. Every route runs through a mainland hub, and the three that matter are Chennai (MAA), Kolkata (CCU) and Bengaluru (BLR). Chennai and Kolkata are the two big Andaman gateways with the most frequent flights and the shortest sea-crossing flight time; Bengaluru is a strong third with good metro connectivity.
Because the second leg (hub to Port Blair) is the expensive, capacity-constrained part, your total fare depends less on your home city and more on which hub you funnel through and how cheaply you can reach it. Two travellers from the same city can pay very different totals purely based on routing.
Chennai routing: usually the strongest for the southern tier-2s
Chennai is the classic Andaman gateway. It has among the highest frequency of flights to Port Blair and the route is short, which keeps the second-leg fare competitive. For travellers from Bengaluru-adjacent or southern-leaning cities, and often from Indore, a connection via Chennai tends to produce a strong all-in price because the first leg into Chennai is well-served and the Chennai-Port Blair leg is frequent.
The practical advantage of Chennai is choice: more daily departures to IXZ mean more chances to catch a cheap fare bucket and more resilience if your first leg slips. As of 2026, indicative round-trip totals via Chennai from a tier-2 city are competitive when booked well in advance, but rise sharply in the December-January and summer-holiday peaks. Verify live fares before committing.
Kolkata routing: the eastern edge that often wins for the north
Kolkata is the other major Andaman hub, with frequent and well-priced flights to Port Blair. For travellers from Lucknow and other northern and eastern tier-2 cities, Kolkata is frequently the cheaper and faster connection, because the Lucknow-Kolkata leg is shorter and competitively served than routing all the way down to Chennai or Bengaluru first.
Kolkata-Port Blair is a busy, competitive sector, so saver fares appear regularly outside peak season. The geography matters: sending a Lucknow traveller via Chennai means a long southward leg first, whereas Kolkata is closer and keeps the total mileage and fare down. For Jaipur, Kolkata and Chennai are often close on price, so it pays to check both.
Bengaluru routing: convenient connections, sometimes pricier final leg
Bengaluru is a major hub with excellent connectivity from all three tier-2 cities and a good number of flights to Port Blair. Its strength is the first leg: cheap, frequent flights from Lucknow, Jaipur and Indore into BLR are easy to find. The variable is the second leg, where Bengaluru-Port Blair frequency and fares can be less consistently cheap than Chennai or Kolkata.
Bengaluru routing makes most sense when you find an unusually cheap through-fare, when your schedule lines up better with BLR departures, or when you're already planning a stop in Bengaluru. Don't assume it's cheapest by default; treat it as the third option to compare against Chennai and Kolkata rather than the automatic pick.
The self-connecting hack: book the two legs separately
Here's the move that regularly beats the single through-fare. Instead of buying one ticket from Lucknow to Port Blair, book the tier-2-to-hub leg and the hub-to-Port-Blair leg as two separate tickets, often on low-cost carriers, choosing the cheapest hub for each. Self-connecting frequently undercuts the bundled airline fare, especially from tier-2 origins where through-fares carry a premium.
The trade-offs are real and you must respect them:
- No protection if the first leg is delayed and you miss the second, you bear the cost. So leave a generous connection buffer, ideally an overnight or a long layover, not a tight one.
- Check baggage rules separately on each ticket; you may need to recheck bags at the hub.
- Account for the airport and any city transfer if your two flights use different terminals or you stop overnight.
Use a metasearch like FlightGPT to price each leg via all three hubs at once, then compare the cheapest self-connected combination against the best single through-fare before you decide.
The hidden costs that change the 'cheapest' answer
The headline fare isn't the all-in cost. Andaman trips carry extras that vary by routing and timing. Factor in convenience fees and baggage charges (which matter more on a two-ticket self-connect), the cost of an overnight at the hub if your buffer requires it, and the fact that Port Blair fares swing dramatically with season.
There's also the longer-leg fatigue and time cost: a Lucknow traveller forced via Chennai spends more hours in transit than via Kolkata, which has its own value. When you tally everything, the 'cheapest' routing is the one with the lowest all-in total for an acceptable journey time, not simply the lowest fare on the screen.
City-by-city quick guidance for 2026
Pulling it together, here's where each tier-2 city usually lands, subject to live-fare checks because routes and prices shift.
- Lucknow: Kolkata is often the cheapest and shortest connection; compare against Bengaluru. Chennai usually means a long detour south.
- Jaipur: Chennai and Kolkata tend to run close; check both, and look at Bengaluru for cheap first legs.
- Indore: Chennai or Bengaluru routings are typically convenient; Kolkata is worth a look too.
Whatever your city, the discipline is the same: price Port Blair via all three hubs, test the self-connect combination, compare all-in totals, and book early for the December-January and summer peaks. Verify everything on live fares as of 2026 before booking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to reach Port Blair from Lucknow?
There are no direct flights, so you connect through a hub. From Lucknow, routing via Kolkata is often the cheapest and shortest because the Lucknow-Kolkata leg is short and competitive, and Kolkata-Port Blair is a busy, well-priced sector. Compare it against a Bengaluru routing, and consider self-connecting the two legs separately. Verify live fares before booking.
Should I fly to Port Blair via Chennai or Kolkata?
Both are major Andaman gateways with frequent flights. For southern and central origins like Indore, Chennai often wins; for northern and eastern origins like Lucknow, Kolkata is usually cheaper and faster. For Jaipur the two run close, so check both. Chennai has the highest flight frequency to Port Blair, which helps with cheap fare availability.
Is self-connecting to Port Blair cheaper than a through ticket?
Often yes. Booking the tier-2-to-hub leg and the hub-to-Port-Blair leg as separate tickets, choosing the cheapest hub for each, frequently undercuts the bundled fare from tier-2 cities. The catch is no missed-connection protection, so leave a generous buffer or overnight, and check baggage rules on each ticket separately.
Are there direct flights to Port Blair from Jaipur or Indore?
No. Port Blair's airport has no direct flights from tier-2 cities like Jaipur or Indore; every route connects through a mainland hub, most commonly Chennai, Kolkata or Bengaluru. Your total fare depends mainly on which hub you choose and how cheaply you reach it, so compare all three routings.
When is the cheapest time to book Andaman flights?
Book well in advance and avoid the December-January and summer school-holiday peaks, when Port Blair fares spike sharply due to limited second-leg capacity. Shoulder seasons offer the best saver fares. Flexible dates and comparing all three hub routings give you the best chance at a low all-in total. Verify current fares before booking.
Does routing via Bengaluru save money to Port Blair?
Sometimes. Bengaluru offers cheap, frequent first legs from Lucknow, Jaipur and Indore, but its Bengaluru-Port Blair leg can be less consistently cheap than Chennai or Kolkata. Treat it as a third option to compare rather than the default, and book it when you find an unusually low through-fare or a schedule that fits.