Kingfisher to operate Kozhikode-Goa flights

Mangalore, Sep 21 (UNI) Kingfisher Airlines will introduce a new flight to Goa from Kozhikode with a halt in Mangalore from September 24.

The new route was awaiting clearance from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, sources in the Bajpe Airport told UNI.

The flight would leave Kozikode at 1030 hrs and reach Bajpe at 1145 hrs and tak off for Goa after a 30 minute halt. It would touch down at Goa at 1315 hrs.

On the return journey, it would leave Goa at 1345 hrs, reach Mangalore at 1445 hrs and take off at 1515 hrs for Kozhikode, where it would land at 1610 hrs.

The sources said following the arrangements by Air India Express (AIE) to run six more international flight services between Mangalore and Gulf countries, the total number of flights would increase to 30 by the end of October. The AIE had also planned to increase its services between Mangalore and Dubai from five times a week to daily October 28. It would also connect Dubai with Kozikode via Mangalore.

Meanwhile, efforts were also being made by AIE to introduce a separate flight from Dubai to Mangalore and Kozikode delinking the Delhi and Amritsar route. At present the flight was operating between Mangalore and Dubai originates at Delhi and reaches Dubai via Amritsar. However, many a time, the airline was unable to maintain the schedule due to fog in Delhi and Amritsar.

The proposed Mumbai-Mangalore-Cochin flight service scheduled to commence this month had been postponed to next month. The AIE had also proposed to commence international flight service between Mangalore and Sharjah. However, it would not be in the immediate future. Besides this, several other private airlines were also keen on venturing into international flight services from Mangalore to West Asia.

Jet Airways, which had been approved to commence flight service to Gulf countries was making efforts to start international flight service from Mangalore, while the other airlines like Air Arabia, Zajeera Airways, Emirates and Air Lanka had also expressed their keen interest in this regard, sources added.

UNI