Mangalore, October 26: Air India Express is set to launch more new flights to the Gulf states from Mangalore and Kerala airports, official sources said.
According to sources, Air India Express will raise the number of flights it operates Gulf and south Indian state of Kerala destinations from 92 to 119 per week, starting October 28.
The move was spurred by growing demand from airports in Mangalore, Kochi, Trivandrum and Kozhikode – which serve as gateways to the Gulf countries, as well as sharp criticism over a sudden halt in flights to these destinations last month.
With the commencement of the new winter schedule, Air India Express will fly from Cochin International Airport to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain, Doha and Sharjah every day, and thrice weekly to Muscat.
The airline will also operate daily connections from Kochi to Dammam via Kozhikode and thrice weekly to Kuwait.
From Mangalore, the LCC will fly two times a day to Dubai, thrice weekly to Muscat and Abu Dhabi, and twice weekly to Doha and Bahrain.
On the whole, flights from Kerala to the Gulf will see a sharp increase this winter: Kozhikode's Calicut Airport will operate 7,308 services, up from 5,643; Kochi's Cochin International Airport will send off 6,105 flights, from 4,903 in the previous schedule; and 4,163 flights will take off from Trivandrum International Airport, a jump from the existing 3,283.
The additional flights are expected to bring down airfares, which spiked following cutbacks and service cancellations by Air India and Kingfisher Airlines.
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