AIR India Express will raise the number of flights it operates between Kerala and Gulf destinations from 92 to 119 per week, starting October 28.
The move was spurred by growing demand from airports in Kochi, Trivandrum, Kozhikode and Mangalore – 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.
E M Najeeb, chairman, Air Travel Enterprises Trivandrum, said: “The carriers have to meet the demand from Kerala to the Gulf and vice versa. The frequency should be increased further and fares rationalised. It will be a win-win situation for all concerned.”
Kerala-Gulf connections are important for the large Keralan expatriate population working in the Middle East. Several trade players, with the support of the state government, have mooted the idea of starting a new airline, Air Kerala (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 27, 2012), for which approval from the Ministry of Civil Aviation is pending.
