Assam, India is noted for its wildlife, including the greater one-horned (Indian) rhinoceros. Santanu Misra / UnsplashAssam, India is noted for its wildlife, including the greater one-horned (Indian) rhinoceros. Santanu Misra / UnsplashNew routes from Guwahati in Assam to open direct link to UAE, ending need to transit through Delhi and KolkataAbu Dhabi and Dubai are to receive their first direct flights from north-eastern India with the launch of services from Guwahati in Assam on August 4.Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the move on X on Monday, marking a significant milestone for a region that has long lacked direct links to the Gulf.Guwahati is the largest city in Assam, the economic and cultural hub of the region and a state known for its sprawling tea estates, rich wildlife and the Brahmaputra River. Assam serves as the main gateway to north-eastern India, a region also comprising Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. Together, the states border Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Nepal.The new UAE routes are expected to benefit travellers who currently rely on hubs including Delhi and Kolkata to reach the Gulf. Sarma said Air India would operate the services, although details including flight frequencies and ticket prices have not yet been announced.Flights to Thailand, Singapore and Bhutan already operate from Guwahati, making the UAE the fourth country to be directly connected to Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. Sarma also said direct services to Vietnam were expected to begin soon."This is a big fillip in our efforts to position Guwahati as a major travel and transit hub for South-East Asia," he said in a post on social media.The announcement comes days after EU states withdrew long-standing travel advisories covering most parts of Assam, a move Sarma said would help boost tourism and international engagement.Several European countries had maintained advisories against travel to parts of Assam and the wider north-east since 1979 because of concerns linked to insurgencies and militancy. The restrictions were lifted after a review of the region's security situation, although a small number of districts where the Armed Forces Special Powers Act remains in force continue to be subject to cautionary advice.The launch of the new flights will further strengthen travel links between the UAE and India, one of the world's busiest international aviation markets. It comes weeks after Air India Express announced direct flights between Navi Mumbai International Airport and Abu Dhabi from July 15, making the UAE capital the first overseas destination to be served from Mumbai's newest airport.Updated: June 23, 2026, 5:14 AM