The Hindu
- Dubai-Mangalore service is operating to full capacity for past four months
- Air India Express to introduce Doha-Bahrain-Mangalore service soon
- Flight from Mangalore to West Asia will operate twice a week
Mangalore, Feb 5: If there are no last minute snags the Bajpe (Mangalore) airport of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) would handle another international flight service from Mangalore to West Asia from February 15.
Air India Express, the low cost airlines of Air India, has announced that it would start Abudhabi-Muscat-Mangalore and Mangalore-Abudhabi-Muscat service from February 15. This will operate twice a week - on every Thursdays and Saturdays.
As per the time schedule announced in the official website of Air India Express (www.airindiaexpress.in) , flight number IX 830 (Abudhabi-Muscat-Mangalore) would depart from Abudhabi at 16.10 hours and arrive at Muscat (Seeb International Airport) at 17.00 hours. The same flight would depart from Muscat at 18.00 hours and arrive at Bajpe (Mangalore) airport at 22.25 hours.
On its return journey (Mangalore-Abudhabi-Muscat) flight number IX 831 would depart from Bajpe airport at 23.55 hours and reach Abudhabi at 02.05 hours. The same flight would depart from Abudhabi at 02.50 hours and arrive at Muscat at 03.40 hours.
According to the website, the confirmation of the schedule is subject to clearance from the authorities concerned.
At present Air India Express (AIE) operates Dubai-Mangalore service thrice a week - on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. According to sources in Air India this service is operating to its full capacity for the past four months. Praful Patel, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, while receiving the inaugural flight of AIE here on October 3, 2006 had said that the tri-weekly service would be converted to a daily service.
Sources said AIE is also planning to introduce yet another flight service to West Asia from Mangalore. This will be Doha-Bahrain-Mangalore service. If everything goes as planned this service could start from next month. If this becomes a reality then Bajpe airport would handle the third international flight to West Asia from Mangalore.
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