The Hindu Business Line : Air Arabia plans more India flights

AIR Arabia, the low-cost airline of the United Arab Emirates, plans to commence more flights into India to cater to the large number of expatriates in the Gulf region, a top company official has said.

"India is a very important destination in our business plan. We hope to launch more destinations (in India) within a few months," Mr Rohit Ramachandran, Air Arabia's Country Manager, said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

Kerala is one of the next destinations in the country Air Arabia is keen to fly, he said.

"Prices and flight frequency to Kerala will be determined once we get the necessary approvals," he said, adding that the airline has tied up with tour operators in the State.

The airline launched its maiden flight to India about 10 days back, connecting Mumbai to Sharjah. The flights are now going at 98 per cent capacity, Mr Ramachandran said.

A one-way ticket in this daily flight starts from Rs 2,999. Passengers can avail themselves of this rate by booking in advance and subject to the demand for the seats.

As seats get filled, the fare will go up in denominations of Rs 500. In the event of cancellation, the amount minus a charge will get credited to the passenger's account, which can be used for travel within one year. No cash, however, will be refunded.

Mr Ramachandran said though Air Arabia is a low-cost airline, it offers food on board for a price. Launched in October 2003, the airline today has five Airbus A320 aircraft.

The airline manages to offer the low fares due to factors such as maximum utilisation of aircraft, adoption of `ticketless' concept, which helps it save paper costs, and by having a slender crew.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Travel agents to stop sale of Lufthansa tickets

Air Arabia plans more India flights

Emirates to build engineering centre

Continental Airlines plans to begin operations from Nov

Kandla port records marginal rise in traffic

Chennai port to set up 2nd box terminal — Expressway for containers planned

Four Indian ships detained at foreign ports this year

`Environment Ministry has cleared Sethusamudram'

Wipro chief sore over lack of progress in sea-port facilities

East Coast Railway posts 10 pc growth in traffic

RITES wins $40-million Angola contract