By Walter NandalikeEditor-in-chiefDaijiworld.com
Pics: Rons Bantwal - Daijiworld Mumbai
Mumbai, Aug 5: According to the chief operations officer (COO) of Air India Express Captain P P Singh, the possibility of flying Air India Express directly from Kuwait to Mangalore will still have a question mark over it, at least until this year end.
Captain Singh was speaking exclusively to Daijiworld.com editor-in-chief Walter Nandalike in Mumbai at AI Express office, regarding the latest development of Air India Express to Mangalore sector.
"We all are doing our best; there is tremendous pressure from the people of the coastal region of Karnataka and North Malabar living in Kuwait to provide them with a direct flight facility, but we have certain limitations," Singh admitted.
Capt PP Singh and J J Sawjiany
"At the moment, we cannot assure anything. Air India and Indian Airlines (Indian) are capable of flying direct. They have an advantage over AI Express. For AI Express there will be load penalty and at the moment we cannot take off 4-hour non-stop flight from any destination" clarified the COO.
Informing further he stated, "Since the merger of Indian and Air India is under process, there are less possibilities of realizing the direct flight of Kuwait- Mangalore immediately".
"We are looking for other options, like Kuwait- Abu Dhabi - Mangalore or Kuwait - Ahmedabad - Mangalore. But this process too will take some time," admitted Singh.
Captain Singh has acknowledged the memorandum submitted by some organizations in Kuwait.
"Archie Menezes in Kuwait on behalf of some organization shas sent us the memorandum and he is following up the issue. Also, on the other hand, UAE Karnataka NRI forum co-coordinator Rajesh Sequeira is in touch with us regarding this route. Let us hope for the best and we assure of our full support in this regard," he said.
Dubai - Mangalore 7 flights a week:
Conveying his extreme happiness over the Dubai - Mangalore sector, Captain Singh admitted that current 5 flights a week are not serving the entire need of Mangalore-bound passengers. From the current winter season we will have 7 flights a week. This has already been approved by the concerned authority, he informed.
No Sharjah - Mangalore direct flight on the cards:
Though, it was earlier decided to have two weekly flights from Sharjah to Mangalore, for the moment the plan for direct Sharjah - Mangalore flight has been dropped. Due to bilateral seat-sharing issues between Dubai and India, there was very little chance to enhance the current 5 flights a week from Dubai to Mangalore. But, the said issue has been resolved recently and it is agreed to have 7 flights a week. This led to the cancellation of Sharjah - Mangalore sector. "Dubai - Mangalore" route is economical as far as the airline operation is concerned, rather than Dubai - Sharjah, clarified the Captain P P Singh.
Other Gulf sectors gaining momentum:
Captain Singh stated that 'he was earlier worried about the initial result on Abu Dhabi - Muscat - Mangalore and Doha - Bahrain - Mangalore flights. But now things are gaining momentum. Currently we have an average 60% load result. This is a good sign, but still we need to reach 80% capacity, otherwise it will be difficult for us to reach break-even', he averred.
Timing, Luggage problems minimized:
Initially we had some hurdles in operating from Dubai - Mangalore. Timing problem was due to fog conditions. Since Amritsar-bound flights were to come to the Mangalore sector, during the winter season fog has been largely responsible in flight delays. This year we are planning to use Coachin-Calicut-bound flights to Mangalore sector. So fog situation will not affect our operation,' he assured.
Singh also informed that, as of now,' timing and luggage problem has been solved. Once in a while we may have to face any such problem. Look at any major airline; every airline has some problem or other, at some point. But we will take care of such things in future', he assured.
No Indian Rupee for In- flight shopping :
There have been a few complaints from the passengers with regard to the Indian Rupee not being accepted in-flight, while purchasing food or drinks. Only Dirhams and Dollars are being accepted.
J J Sawjiany, deputy general manager of Air India Express, who is responsible for finance too, was also present in the press brief, and he informed daijiworld that "This problem is because of the Reserve Bank restrictions, as things which are sold in-flight are bonded items and are not allowed to be sold in Indian rupee in the sky".
We have been discussing this matter, even Air India shopping has been facing such complaints from passengers. Very soon we will come to an agreement and in future Air India and its subsidiary flights will accept Indian Rupee" he pacified.
Mangalore - a successful destination:
After about 10 months of operation, Capt P P Singh has expressed his satification at the performance and achievement of direct Mangalore flights. He said that the frequency of the flights would be increased in accordance with the needs of the people, he informed in conclusion.
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