Air India Express to increase UAE frequency; offer free food

Dubai : Indian budget carrier Air India Express will increase the number of flights connecting the UAE and India by doubling its daily flights from the UAE to Mumbai and Delhi.

Starting this summer, Air India Express will increase the number of weekly flights in the India UAE sector from the current 107 weekly flights to 146 flights per week, with twice-a-day service to Mumbai and New Delhi starting next month. 

The carrier earlier faced protests over the cancellation of some flights to and from the Gulf.

K Shyam Sunder, Chief Executive Officer, Air India Express, said the carrier is trying to connect 12 Indian cities with four emirates in the UAE using six new leased Boeing 737 aircraft that will be added to the existing fleet.

In addition to starting twice daily services to Mumbai and New Delhi, the carrier will start four flights a week from Ras Al Khaimah International Airport to Calicut from later this month (March 28).

A formal inauguration of the Ras Al Khaimah-Calicut flight was held at the VIP Launch of Ras Al Khaimah airport.

As per the new summer schedule of the carrier, Dubai-Mumbai and Sharjah-Mumbai daily flights will begin April 7, 2016, utilising the leased aircraft from General Electric Capital Aviation Services, a US-based leasing company.

The Delhi-Dubai service and Delhi-Abu Dhabi service will commence May 15 and May 16, respectively, as part of the summer schedule. The daily flight frequencies from the UAE will increase to 21 per day.

Starting March 28, the weekly flights to the Kerala sector will increase in phases, from 96 flights per week to 119 flights per week, with a focus on the Calicut route.

The number of seats in the sector will increase from 8,184 seats to 11,718 seats per week, and the carrier will have twice daily service from June 1, 2016.

Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of RAK Airport and Department of Civil Aviation, CEO of Air India Express and other officials and diplomats participated in the formal inauguration of the Calicut Ras Al Khaimah flight, which will be a boon to the South Indian community living in the Northern Emirates. The flight is shared with Al Ain, too.

Air India Express claims to be the only budget carrier offering free food to passengers, and said that it will facilitate an online selection of menu. The airline also offers 30kg baggage allowance to passengers for their trip.