At a glance
- Direct flights
- None. Expect one stop.
- Route code
- AKL to MAA (Auckland to Chennai)
- Typical journey
- Around a day with one stop
- Usual stopovers
- Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are common, plus Bangkok, Hong Kong or a Gulf hub
- Busy periods
- Pongal in January, Tamil New Year in April, Deepavali, and NZ school holidays
- Watch out for
- Heavy north-east monsoon rain from around October to December
- Arrival airport
- Chennai International Airport (MAA)
Flying home to Tamil Nadu
Chennai is the main international gateway for Tamil Nadu, and the nearest for Puducherry, a few hours’ drive south. For family in Madurai, Coimbatore or Tiruchirappalli, ask us to price the domestic flight with your international tickets, so the airline looks after the connection if something runs late.
Pongal, Tamil New Year and Deepavali
Pongal falls in mid-January, Tamil New Year in mid-April and Deepavali in October or November, and each pulls travel dates towards the same weeks. Fares typically climb as those periods approach. If your dates are fixed, ask early; if you can move by a few days, tell us the window and we’ll show the difference.
Plan around the monsoon
Chennai’s main rains arrive with the north-east monsoon, roughly October to December, and heavy storms can delay flights and slow road transfers. When you travel then, leave extra time before any onward domestic flight, and tell us if you would rather pay a little more for a longer layover.
Airlines on this route
Airlines commonly used between New Zealand and Chennai include Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Gulf carriers, usually with a connecting carrier. Availability and value change by date, so we compare them for you.
