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  About Chennai

Chennai falls in the top 10 cities of India with an illustrious history and thriving heritage. The 369-year-old city is one of the most developed cities in India and stands proudly as the capital of Tamil Nadu. Formerly known as Madras, the city of Chennai is known for its glorious history, arts and culture and its ardent enthusiasm towards automobiles. The city is also known as India's health capital as attracts the highest number of foreign tourists with 45 percent catering to health. The thriving city's melange of a modern vibe and traditional roots makes it one of the best urban cities in the world. The airport has excellent flight connectivity to and from Chennai and other domestic and international cities. You can make your flight bookings to Chennai as well as find a range of hotels to book from in the city.

Best time to visit

As Chennai is a tropical city located by the coast, the temperatures are incredibly high. Even the seasons are binary. The summers in Chennai are between April to June but is hot for the rest of the year too. The monsoon season in Chennai takes place twice in a year. While it receives scanty rainfall between June to September (as opposed to the rest of the country, which receives bountiful rain), the months from October to December see heavy rain in the city, owing to the north-east monsoon. The climate is hot and humid all-round the year, but December is the most pleasant time in the year to visit Chennai.

Places to visit

Beaches

As Chennai rests comfortably on the coastal parts of Tamil Nadu, the city has some pristine beaches to check out. Touted to be the second-largest urban beach in the entire world, the Marina Beach is the jewel of Chennai with a shoreline of 12 km long. The sandy shores of the beach teamed with the exquisite Colonial buildings on the street-side make for quite a spectacle.

While Marina Beach is more on the populous side, to enjoy the serenity of a quieter beach, you can visit Edward Elliot's beach and Breezy Beach, to name a few. These beaches are quaint and attract individuals who need to step away from the city's bustle. The peaceful ambience of these beaches has turned into quite the tourist attraction.

Temples

The temples in Chennai are centuries old and found aplenty. Every corner of the street has at least one temple. These temples have fascinating stories and exquisite architecture. The temples are known to have a specific structure in South India with detailed gopurams, enormous water tanks in the back of the temple, domestic animals such as cows and dogs, hawkers selling toys and snacks, quaint ponds and shrines of several deities. Some of the famous temples in the city that you can visit are the Kapaleeswarar Temple, the Parthasarathy Temple, Sri Ramakrishna Math-Universal Temple, Kumaran Kundram and Karaneeswarar temple.

The city is also home to a bunch of churches and mosques. In fact, the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Thomas can be found in Chennai. The shrine is believed to be built over the tomb of St Thomas the Apostle, who had visited India in 52 AD. After his death, the saint's body is said to have been buried under the same spot where the Basilica now stands. Other notable churches and mosques include St. Thomas Mount, St. Mary's Church, Big Mosque (Wallajah Mosque) and more.

Museums and Monuments

Chennai's rich culture is reflected not just from the slew of temples and coastal delights but also the monuments and museums in the city. Since the city was also under the direct influence of the British East India Company, much of the architecture, culture and infrastructure have an English vibe. Visit the National Government Museum to learn more about the city's history. You can further go on an artistic voyage by visiting the National Art Gallery, which is more than 100 years old.

Ecological parks

Another major highlight of the city is the number of ecological parks and gardens that can be explored. The city runs a crocodile preservation park as well as a snake park called the Guindy Snake Park. Sprawled across 280 hectares of land is the Guindy National Park which is known to be the smallest national park in India. While the national park is inhabited by very few flora and fauna, it does hold a dedicated space to preserve reptiles and other amphibian species. Besides these two, one can opt to visit the Arinjar Anna Zoological Park, also known as Vandalur Zoo, which is located in the outskirts of the city.

Things to do

Chennai is heavily invested not just in the automobiles but also the literary, arts and culture fields. To them, dance and music play a significant role in their daily lives. In fact, the city also observes a bunch of festivals such as Madras Music Season, Madras Day, The Hindu Lit for Life and Chennai Book Fair to commemorate some of their indulgences. These events are a rage and definitely worth attending. You can visit some of the music and dance functions held by the Nungambakkam Cultural Academy Trust, The Music Academy in TTK Road, Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha and Indian Institute of Music and Arts to name a few.

Another fun activity to take up would be to watch a movie of a South star at one of the single-screen or even a multiplex. The fervour of fandom during the release of their favourite celebrity's movie release is euphoric and definitely worth experiencing. As for bibliography enthusiasts, you can visit the Theosophical Society to explore the library set by Anne Besant. There are various malls with high-end fashion brands that you could check out. Or you can always go to Pondy Bazaar in T Nagar to shop silk ensembles and golden accessories.

Food and Restaurants

T Nagar and Anna Nagar in Chennai are known market places with many food and restaurant options too. In fact, some of the best joints in the city can be found here. One of the most popular restaurants, Saravana Bhavan, is a must-visit to get the best of South Indian vegetarian food. Sri Anandam Hotel, Geetha Cafe in Pondy Bazaar, Rathna Cafe in Triplicane and Karpagambal Mess in Mylapore are some of the best restaurants that will you give quite the experience of the delicious South Indian cuisine. Dakshin and Southern Spice also offer tasty food.

However, if you do wish to explore a little more, Mansuk's shop in T Nagar is known to emulate Mumbai-chaat and Gujarati Thali. For sweets and desserts, you must let your tastebuds acquaint with Mysore Paks, Tarti Paal and other such sweets, which you will find at Sri Krishna Sweets and Aavin corners. DOJO Kulfis is also a famous hub for traditional ice creams such as kulfi, faloodas and smoothies.

How to reach Chennai (Transportation)

By Air

After Delhi airport and Mumbai airport, the Chennai airport is the third most active airport in India for domestic as well as international departures and arrivals. The airport is divided into two terminals, the Anna Terminal reserved for international flights and the Kamraj Terminal for domestic flights. Located in the same long stretched airport, the flight connectivity to and from Chennai is excellent.

Not just domestic but even international cities are well-connected with Chennai. Major international flight routes from Chennai to cities such as London, Frankfurt, Singapore, Malaysia, the Middle East, New York, Hong Kong, etc. can be reached as flights are available from Chennai Airport. Since Chennai is one of the busiest cities in India, the flight demands are also quite high. Make your flight bookings to Chennai months in advance to avoid high ticket costs.

Another perk of the Chennai airport is how it is well-connected with the city too. While it is located in the outskirts, the airport has a Metro which directly connects with the main city, making travelling far more convenient.

By Rail

There are two central stations which connect Chennai to other major cities in the country. Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore are the two central stations with regular trains entering and exiting the city from different parts of India. While Chennai Central is known to connect the city to other cities, Chennai Egmore has intercity trains that run regularly. Interestingly, both the stations are well-connected with the Chennai airport.

Chennai Central sees trains coming in from cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Madurai, Ahmedabad and Coimbatore daily. Since the rail connectivity is so good, it is often considered by travellers. You must book your rail tickets well in advance as the demand is always high to travel to Chennai.

By Road

The city's bus station is touted to be one of the largest in Asia. Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) is a state-owned property and provides transport services to a plethora of destinations in the South of India. Located in the main city, there are several direct buses to the airport as well as the Egmore station. Considered to be a cheap and affordable means of travelling, you can visit Chennai as long as your location is in the neighbouring states. The travel time to Pondicherry, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Tirupati, Trivandrum, etc. is considerably low.

  About Gulf Air

Gulf Air is the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain with its headquarters located in Muharraq. The airline operates services to connect to about 52 destinations across 28 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. Gulf Air's main hub is Bahrain International Airport. The airline is the official sponsor of a slew of events including the Bahrain Grand Prix as well as Bahrain International Airshow. Initially, the airline was jointly owned by Bahrain, Oman, Abu Dhabi and Qatar before the Kingdom of Bahrain took over complete ownership of Gulf Air. In 2005, a decision was made to make Emirates of Abu Dhabi withdraw from Gulf Air and instead establish the United Arab Emirates flag carrier Etihad Airways. Gulf Air's operations were changed to a dual-hub based between Bahrain and Muscat (Oman) airports. Despite the omission of the United Arab Emirates from the picture, Gulf Air continued to extend its appreciation and support to the said Middle East nation. Claiming how the country has been quite supportive and thanking them for the contribution for more than 35 years.

Gulf Air's large customer base is derived from Abu Dhabi, and hence, the airline has reserved special flights to Abu Dhabi as well as Muscat. This act has further strengthened Gulf Air's network. In 2007, Gulf Air saw another tremendous management switch as the government of Bahrain claimed complete ownership of the airline following the withdrawal of Oman to focus on its flag carrie3r, Oman Air. The change in ownership brought forth a second restructuring program to cease the losses it had been facing a whopping USD 1 million in a day. While Gulf Air's battles in the management continued, in terms of operations, they introduced a non-stop daily direct flight to London Heathrow Airport in 2007. Following the autonomy of falling just under the government of Bahrain instead of varied partners as investors, Gulf Air started acquiring many aircraft to expand its fleet and to enhance its domestic and international routes. They took in a bunch of Boeing flights as well as Airbus A319s and A330-200s as part of their expansion strategy.

Further, as part of the restructuring plans, Gulf Air introduced its Falcon Gold cabin, basically a premium cabin that combined the business and first-class. The same came into existence in 2010 and offered higher standards of comfort during transit. The airline also made a few changes in the cabin's amenities to bring forth world-class services and make it perfect for premium fliers. Despite working on several methods to expand the business, Gulf Air has been recorded to be a loss-making venture, owing to the political unrest in the country of Bahrain. Further, the airline also changed its approach to become a boutique airline, making it stand out from its competition. Basically, as a boutique airline, the focus for the airline is on lifestyle and branding that fall in the lines of upscale hospitality. The experiences offered by Gulf Air are no short of luxury.

Fleet size of Gulf Air

Gulf Air is known to accommodate a fleet of 34 aircraft, as of 2020. The airline only has Airbus and Boeing as part of its fleet. They have about 27 aircraft of Airbus family while seven aircraft manufactured by Boeing. Currently, the airline has Airbus A321ER, Airbus A320-200, Airbus A320ER, Boeing 787-9, Airbus A320Neo and Airbus A320DNeo. In the past, Gulf Air did accommodate a slew of aircraft from various manufacturers. However, with tremendous changes in expansion strategies, the airline now only has Airbus and Boeing.

Gulf Air Baggage Allowance

Gulf Air's baggage allowance varies from the ticket fare family and the possible airline membership. Falcon Gold, which is part of Gulf Air's frequent flyer plan, allow two checked baggage which can weigh no more than 32 kg each. This means travellers who are using the Falcon Gold are allowed to carry a total of 64 kg, which can be divided into two pieces of luggage. Travellers who are going from the economy are allowed to carry not more than 23 kg. The airline accommodates two pieces of luggage which add to a total of 46 kg. These provisions are only available for Falcon frequent flyers. The baggage allowance for economy class is perfect for those who are travelling on budget tickets. In case there is additional checked-in baggage, you will need to purchase at the airport's World Wide Contact Centre. You can also purchase on the website of Gulf Air as they also have some extra details about the deal. Despite the standards set by the airline, the rules and protocols do have some exceptions. These exceptions can be found on the official website of Gulf Air.

As for the cabin baggage, the rules applied include 9 kg weight for Falcon Gold members and 6 kg for Economy passengers. The airline allows one bag out of which Falcon Gold gets an additional small bag which could be a handbag or a briefcase or a laptop bag. However, the dimensions of the cabin baggage must be adhered to as they need to fit in the overhead bin and under the seat space. For Falcon Gold, the airline allows dimensions of 55 x 40 x 30 cm. Meanwhile, the dimensions for economy bags are 45 x 40 x 30 cm. Gulf Air does offer a deal where additional personal items, including a purse, laptop, umbrella, reading book, etc., are permitted in the cabin. The airline has also shared a list of personal items that can be carried in the cabin baggage for free. These include a crutch, an overcoat, a blanket, a laptop, pocketbook or handbag, bag with camera, pair of binoculars, reading matter and more. Travellers with infants also get some perks as they can carry additional bags with baby products for changing, feeding and more.

Gulf Air In-flight services

Gulf Air's in-flight services are quite amazing as they cater to the cabin class with good hospitality. They recently came up with a brand new flatbed for their premium class cabins. The reclining seats also have features such as built-in massage. Further, you can put on the noise-cancelling headsets that are available with the seat. Tune out the noise around you and enjoy the unlimited entertainment that the airline has to the office with its 22-inch screen. The beds are large and can extend up to accommodate 6 ft, tall individuals. The in-flight meals are complimentary for premium members. This also includes a priority for check-in and boarding. Not to mention how the airline also enables access to the passengers to their lounges. The economy class seats are also quite comfortable. They provide decent legroom and recline. The airline also offers a personal entertainment system for all passengers to have a good time. They do have a slew of entertaining content that one can enjoy. You can pick any content from their screen and put on the headset to be entertained during the flight.

Interestingly, Gulf Air's in-flight services include a Sky Nanny, for travellers with infants. The sky nanny would take care of your children on board and keep them entertained, so they do not disturb the other passengers in the flight. The meals provided on the flight come from Gulf Air's multi-award winning catering service, Sky Chef. The airline offers a slew of meals on their menu that one can pick from. This ranges from non-vegetarian to vegan food. You can pre-book the meals ahead of the flight on their official website. The airline's Boeing Dreamliner 787 is the most exquisite aircraft in their fleet. The Falcon Gold cabin, as well as the Economy class cabin, are both gifted with impeccable interiors and great facilities at the same time. Some of the in-flight services in Gulf Air's Dreamliner include 22-inch of an entertainment system with power supply attached to the seats. They also have a decent seat pitch for the first class as well as the economy class that would enable a comfortable journey for the passengers.

Popular routes and top cities for Gulf Air

As of 2020, Gulf Air connects to 52 international cities sprawled across 28 countries. The airline is well-connected and has services to quite a few domestic routes and international routes. These include Africa, Europe and Asian continents. Cairo, Paris, Frankfurt, Athens, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Dublin, Amman, Rome, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait City, Nairobi, Muscat, Karachi, Manila, Moscow, Doha, Colombo, Istanbul, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok and London. The airline's airport lounge is also prevalent in three of the international airports including, Dubai, Bahrain and London-Heathrow.

Why travel by Gulf Air?

Gulf Air's phenomenal flight connectivity to the cities in three continents is what makes it a perfect choice for travellers. The airline has exemplary connectivity with several Middle Eastern cities and sees a strong flight activity in the domestic routes and international routes. Not to mention how the airline's website has also been upgraded to cater to some of the needs of the travellers. You can book your Gulf Air flight online and even get a web check-in done for efficiency. The flight status and Gulf Air's flight schedules are also present on the website as well as other travel portals.

  About Chennai Airport

Chennai International Airport serves as the international airport to the city of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. The airport is situated in Tirusulam, which is about 21 km away from the city centre. It has been recognised as the third busiest airport in the country in terms of international traffic as well as cargo capacity. The airport falls behind New Delhi and Mumbai to be on the list of the busiest airport. The Chennai International Airport is also the fourth busiest in India, with respect to passenger traffic and follows New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. In India, the airport falls in the top five list of busiest international and domestic airports. The Chennai International Airport has also been acknowledged as the 49th busiest on the Asia level, becoming one of the four top cities to be on the top 50 Asia list. The airport is perfectly connected with Chennai Metro as well as Tirusulam railway station, which falls in the Chennai Suburban Railway line.

About Chennai Airport Terminals

The airport has two terminals which have been named after the state's former chief ministers. The domestic terminal is also known as K. Kamaraj while the international terminal is named C. N. Annadurai. They are interconnected by a building. The building now serves as an older international block that deals with administrative offices, along with a restaurant. The whole stretch is one linear structure that was built additionally as Anna terminal (T3) was brought about in 1988 to align with the Kamaraj terminal (T1). The first domestic terminal that was built at the Chennai airport had two aero-bridges. This was considered a milestone as the Chennai airport became the first one in the country to have aerobridges in the domestic terminal. Terminal 1 and 2 are not used for passenger traffic any more. They have been reserved for cargo. Meanwhile, the newly built Terminals 3 and 4 serve the international departures and arrivals. Annadurai terminal deals with international passengers. The terminal has about 45 check-in counters, 38 immigration booths with 16 at the departure terminal and 22 at the arrivals and 18 customs counters which are at the departure as well as arrival terminal.

About airport authority

Earlier, the Civil Aviation Department handled the Chennai Airport in 1952. However, the operations were later taken over by the Airports Authority of India in 1972. Since then, there have been extensive infrastructural development plans and schemes that have been conducted. Much recently, the airport underwent some extensive construction to modernise the amenities prevalent in the airport. The new international terminal (T4), was built just while ago. Simultaneously, the existing international terminal (T3) was renovated, and a second runway was extended. The parallel runway also includes new taxiways, parking bays as well as a cargo terminal. The Airports Authority of India is responsible for working on the designs, maintenance and management of the airport. Not to mention how AAI brings forth funds to expand the development projects and schemes for the airport. The statutory body has also introduced two sustainable gardens which have been installed within the airport premises. Along with this, they have worked towards many other expansions.

Facilities at the Chennai Airport

Child care rooms: The Chennai airport has reserved specific rooms for mothers with infants. The space is perfect for feeding, changing table and other such activities to take care of the kids. The room is perfectly maintained and is regularly sanitised.

Wheelchair services: The airport also has wheelchair services that have been reserved for senior citizens, expectant mothers and passengers with medical ailments. You can find these services at the departure and arrival gates of both the terminals.

WiFi: WiFi services have also been provided at the airport. There is free WiFi that is available for close to 45 minutes in the premise. You can also find paid services of WiFi for better connectivity and longer duration of access. You will need an Indian phone number to get hold of the services.

Medical aid: The airport also has special medical kits and rooms available for emergencies. To ensure that emergency cases are tended to with prompt medical assistance, there are kits and services available at close intervals. There are health scan facilities also available at the airport to get a better understanding of the medical concern if need be.

Prayer rooms: Multi faith rooms have been reserved for passengers. The prayer rooms are open for people of all faith as there are religious books also present in the hall. These rooms can also be used as meditation halls.

Lost and found: Lost and found facilities are also available at the airport premise. Details of the same can be received at the information desk. A few dedicated spaces have been allotted at close intervals for lost and found desks.

ATMs and Forex: The airport has a slew of ATM kiosks and foreign exchange counters at regular intervals to help passengers. In case you are running short of cash or need to exchange some currency, you can find counters at the airport.

Post Office: One of the cool facilities that the airport has is postal services. There are courier services and post offices in the airport vicinity. You can find them at both the terminals. This can be ideal for last-minute mails and documents that need to be sent out.

Restaurants and cafes:

Chennai airport has a bunch of hotels and famous food establishments. The airport cafeteria has many options to choose from for food. From Indian cuisine to dishes from the international kitchen, there are many choices that can be made for food while you wait to board the flight.

Smoking zone: The airport has dedicated smoking rooms too. The rooms also have provisions for cigarette boxes, in case passengers run out of them or need to purchase them.

Baggage wrapping: The luggage facilities at Chennai airport are also good. Aside from trolley services and luggage counters to store them, the airport also has baggage wrap services. The airport is equipped with professional staff that package the bags with plastic to avoid various concerns ranging from baggage mishandling to thefts.

VIP lounge: Chennai airport has reserved halls for VIP lounges. Individuals with first-class flight tickets and premium memberships with specific airlines will have access to the VIP Lounge. The lounge services are quite good and upscaled.

Top airlines flying from the Chennai Airport

Domestic flights flying from Chennai Airport are from Terminal 1. The Chennai International Airport is touted to be the HQ of the Airports Authority of India, with states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Lakshadweep and Puducherry under its wing. The Chennai airport has immaculate connectivity with most of the Southern cities and hence, has various domestic airlines catering to the same. Airlines such as Air India, Air India Express, Air Asia India, Alliance Air, GoAir, IndiGo, SpiceJet, TruJet and Vistara, operate from the Chennai International Airport. These airlines have flights connecting to specific small towns within the Southern belt and hence, make the airport an important hub.

Along with the domestic airlines that operate from the city, there are a plethora of international airlines that also function from the airport. A majority of flights connecting to Australia and New Zealand have airlines available. The most important international airlines that operate from Chennai Airport are Air Arabia, Air Austral, Air Canada, Air Mauritius, Air New Zealand, Air Seychelles, Air Asia, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Batik Air, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, EgyptAir, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways, flydubai, Flynas, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Kuwait Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Maldivian, Malindo Air, Oman Air, Qantas, Qatar Airways, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Saudia, Silkair, Singapore Airlines, Srilankan Airlines, Thai Air Asia, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines and Virgin Australia. Terminal 3 and 4 are reserved for international airlines as departures and arrivals take place from them.

How to reach the Chennai Airport

The Chennai International Airport is located on the National Highway 32, also recognised as the Grand Southern trunk Road. The highway is known to be a famous link that connects the city to other important cities in Tamil Nadu. The best way to reach the Chennai International Airport is by opting for its closest railway station, the Tirusulam railway station. The station falls on the Suburban railway network. Often this route is considered as it directly connects with the city centre. Another famous route connecting the city centre to the airport is via the metro station. The airport metro station falls in the Chennai Metro line. The metro line is also considered to be the ideal way to reach the Chennai Airport. Aside from the Tirusulam railway station, the Metro station is favoured more. It is also acknowledged to be the second metro station which connects with an airport in India.

There are expansion plans that are in the making to make the connectivity to Chennai airport better from the city centre. It has been announced that a direct tube will be constructed to bridge the distance from the metro station to the Chennai airport. Flyovers are also being erected to connect the metro station directly to the departure and airport terminals. Simultaneously, the government is also planning on facilitating a connection between the Tirusulam train station with the metro station.