Singapore, Jul 6: Singapore Airlines (SIA) has announced that it will return to its pre-pandemic level of operations to India by October 30, buoyed by a robust surge in the demand for air travel.

Singapore's flag carrier will progressively operate 17 weekly flights to Chennai, up from the current 10 flights per week, it said on Tuesday.

Similarly, flights to Kochi will also increase by 14 times weekly, up from the current seven flights per week, while Bengaluru will see 16 flights per week, up from the current seven flights per week, the airline said.

SIA will operate almost 100 per cent of its pre-Covid operating capacity to India by October 30, 2022, it said in a statement.

JoAnn Tan, Senior Vice President Marketing Planning, Singapore Airlines, said that "robust demand for travel to and from India, to points across the Group network, support an increase in our services in this important market."

Pre-pandemic, the airline operated to seven destinations in India with a total of 96 flights a week.

SIA also plans to increase flights to destinations like Tokyo, Osaka, Paris and Los Angeles, as part of its efforts to ramp up its capacity to 81 per cent of pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year, it added.

Battered by the pandemic for the past two years, the airline industry is slowly limping back to normalcy and the resumption of normal overseas flights is expected to provide a fillip to this sector.

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Ranchi: Champai Soren, a prominent figure in Jharkhand’s statehood movement, is contesting the 2024 assembly elections from Seraikela, a seat he has consistently held since 1991.

However, there is a surprising shift in his political journey this year. Having resigned from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) earlier this year, Soren is now representing the BJP, a move that could significantly impact the electoral dynamics in the state.

Soren’s switiching is seen as a strategic benefit for the saffron party, which has been working to expand its appeal among Jharkhand’s tribal communities, a demographic traditionally aligned with the JMM. His departure from the JMM, led by Shibu Soren and his son Hemant Soren, was fueled by dissatisfaction with the state government’s policies, which he claimed had failed to address tribal concerns.

Also known as "Jharkhand’s Tiger" for his instrumental role in the statehood movement of the 1990s, Champai Soren has respect and influence among tribal voters. His decision to switch the party could be a turning point in the BJP’s efforts to gain a stronger hold in a state where tribal votes often decide the outcome.