Mangalore: Air India Express Debut Flight to Jeddah

Mangalore: Air India Express Debut Flight to Jeddah Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (RD/CN)
Mangalore, Oct 25: The first flight of Air India Express (AIE) to Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), from Bajpe Airport, was flagged-off by union minister for external affairs S M Krishna at 12.45 pm on Sunday October 25. The aircraft carried 112 Haj pilgrims.
Krishna presented a rose to each pilgrim before they boarded the flight.
It was indeed a joyous occasion for Haj pilgrims of undivided Dakshina Kannada, Kasargod, Uttar Karnataka, and Malnad regions as they now have an easier means of going on the holy pilgrimage to Mecca.
AIE flight number 1302 will have a stopover at Kozhikode (Calicut) and the onward journey to Jeddah will be by AIE flight number 8036.
AIE city manager Chellam Prasad, local Haj committee members, state minister for Wakf and minority development Mumtaz Ali Khan, Rajya Sabha member Oscar Fernandes, Blossom Fernandes, former union minister Janardhan Poojary, and several dignitaries were present on the occasion.
The Haj training camp for pilgrims and a stage programme were held at Ansari Masjid grounds, Bajpe, on Sunday morning after which Krishna also flagged-off the buses taking the pilgrims to the airport.
Religious leaders under the leadership of Ullal Tangal Assayed Abdul Rehman Musliar performed the rituals related to the pilgrimage.