Mangalore: Air India Express inaugural flight to Dammam set for take-off
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Apr 3: For the first time in the history of the Mangalore Airport spanning over six decades, a direct flight to Saudi Arabia is set to take to skies on Wednesday April 3.
Director of the airport, Radhakrishna, said that Air India Express twice-a-week flights to Dammam, Saudi Arabia, will become operational from today.
On Wednesdays and Saturdays, the flight will depart from here at 5 pm. In its return journey, the flight will take off from Dammam at 8.30 pm local time on Thursdays and Sundays and arrive here at 3.20 am. The total duration of these flights will be 4 hrs 20 min, it is learnt.
There has been persistent demand for a direct flight from the city to Saudi Arabia since long, because of the fact that large number of persons from coastal Karnataka work in that country. The flight which will commence today will also come handy to people from neighbouring districts. This flight will be an addition to the other international flights being operated to the Gulf region from this airport to destinations like Dubai, Muscat, Kuwait, Doha, and Bahrain.