ARTISTIC: M.R. Vasudeva (right), director, Airport Authority of India, Chellam Prasad, (left), Station Manager of Air India, and Ratan Bali (second from left), deputy regional director, Air India, Mumbai, watch the Yakshagana being performed at the launching ceremony of a first flight to Sharjah at Bajpe aiport in Mangalore on Thursday.
Staff Correspondent
Yakshagana show marks the launch of Kozhikode-Mangalore-Sharjah service at Bajpe aiport
AIE will add six aircraft to its present fleet of 19 in a year, says official
The new flight service reduces journey time to the two cities by six hours
Yakshagana show marks the launch of Kozhikode-Mangalore-Sharjah service at Bajpe aiport
AIE will add six aircraft to its present fleet of 19 in a year, says official
The new flight service reduces journey time to the two cities by six hours
MANGALORE: The Air India Express (AIE), budget airliner of Air India, is exploring the possibilities of connecting Mangalore with Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, Ratan Bali, Deputy Regional Director, Air India, Mumbai, said here on Thursday.
He was speaking to presspersons at Mangalore airport on the sidelines of a function to launch an Air India Express flight from Kozhikode to Sharajah and Kuwait, via Mangalore on Thursday.
He said, at present, the AIE had 19 aircraft and was planning to add six more to it by October, 2009.
“We will establish connectivity to more destinations when the aircraft arrive. Operating flights to Riyadh and Dammam is in our agenda,” he said. Mr. Bali said that AIE would operate a flight service between Kolkatta and Dhaka from July 20.
Asked if Air India had plans to have its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) station at Mangalore, he said: “If the situation warrants, we will look into it.” The mood at the Bajpe airport on Thursday was upbeat as the number of West Asian cities having flight connection with Mangalore rose to seven. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) staff at the airport, members of airlines and passengers came together to celebrate the event.
Yakshagana artistes, Sanjaya Kumar and his Padubidri-based troupe, performed Yakshagana for a while at the departure hall. The beatings of “chende” , “mrudanga” and “charka tala” reverberated the airport. The artistes staged scenes from “Mahishasura Vadhe” and “Shakata Vadhe” episodes.
M.R. Vasudeva, director of the airport, Chellam Prasad, station manager, Air India- Mangalore and Mr. Bali cut a cake to mark the inauguration of the first flight to Sharjah and Kuwait.
According to Ms. Prasad, 87 passengers travelled in the inaugural flight on Thursday. Of them, 32 were bound for Sharjah and the rest for Kuwait. The flight arrived at Bajpe airport from Kozhikode at 6.05 p.m. and departed to Sharajah at 7.40 p.m. It would arrive here from Sharjah at 8.30 a.m. and depart to Sharjah at 9.20 a.m. on Friday. For the incoming flight, 137 seats had been booked from Kuwait and 18 from Sharajah, she said.
Lancy D’Souza of Kinnigoli, who works in Kuwait, said that a passenger flying from Mangalore to Kuwait would now save eight hours of journey. Earlier, he and his family members, had to go to Mumbai to take flights to Sharjah and Kuwait. He claimed that he was working in Kuwait for the past 30 years. He was spending Rs. 21,000 for one-way journey to Kuwait from Mangalore via Mumbai. Now he had paid Rs. 9,600 to reach Kuwait.
He said that during his 30 years of travel, he had never seen such grand celebrations at the airport.
Gracy Monterio of Jeppu said that she was travelling to Kuwait by Thursday’s flight for the first time to join her family. Jane Fernandes of Gangolli and Sushma Dinesh of Nitte were also travelling to Kuwait for the first time.
Rajesh Sequeira, co-ordinator, Karnataka NRI Forum, UAE, was present on the occasion.
He was speaking to presspersons at Mangalore airport on the sidelines of a function to launch an Air India Express flight from Kozhikode to Sharajah and Kuwait, via Mangalore on Thursday.
He said, at present, the AIE had 19 aircraft and was planning to add six more to it by October, 2009.
“We will establish connectivity to more destinations when the aircraft arrive. Operating flights to Riyadh and Dammam is in our agenda,” he said. Mr. Bali said that AIE would operate a flight service between Kolkatta and Dhaka from July 20.
Asked if Air India had plans to have its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) station at Mangalore, he said: “If the situation warrants, we will look into it.” The mood at the Bajpe airport on Thursday was upbeat as the number of West Asian cities having flight connection with Mangalore rose to seven. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) staff at the airport, members of airlines and passengers came together to celebrate the event.
Yakshagana artistes, Sanjaya Kumar and his Padubidri-based troupe, performed Yakshagana for a while at the departure hall. The beatings of “chende” , “mrudanga” and “charka tala” reverberated the airport. The artistes staged scenes from “Mahishasura Vadhe” and “Shakata Vadhe” episodes.
M.R. Vasudeva, director of the airport, Chellam Prasad, station manager, Air India- Mangalore and Mr. Bali cut a cake to mark the inauguration of the first flight to Sharjah and Kuwait.
According to Ms. Prasad, 87 passengers travelled in the inaugural flight on Thursday. Of them, 32 were bound for Sharjah and the rest for Kuwait. The flight arrived at Bajpe airport from Kozhikode at 6.05 p.m. and departed to Sharajah at 7.40 p.m. It would arrive here from Sharjah at 8.30 a.m. and depart to Sharjah at 9.20 a.m. on Friday. For the incoming flight, 137 seats had been booked from Kuwait and 18 from Sharajah, she said.
Lancy D’Souza of Kinnigoli, who works in Kuwait, said that a passenger flying from Mangalore to Kuwait would now save eight hours of journey. Earlier, he and his family members, had to go to Mumbai to take flights to Sharjah and Kuwait. He claimed that he was working in Kuwait for the past 30 years. He was spending Rs. 21,000 for one-way journey to Kuwait from Mangalore via Mumbai. Now he had paid Rs. 9,600 to reach Kuwait.
He said that during his 30 years of travel, he had never seen such grand celebrations at the airport.
Gracy Monterio of Jeppu said that she was travelling to Kuwait by Thursday’s flight for the first time to join her family. Jane Fernandes of Gangolli and Sushma Dinesh of Nitte were also travelling to Kuwait for the first time.
Rajesh Sequeira, co-ordinator, Karnataka NRI Forum, UAE, was present on the occasion.
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