Air India Express announces Mangalore-Dammam flight schedule

Mumbai, Feb 7: Air India Express has announced its schedule for direct flight between Mangalore and Saudi Arabian city of Dammam, which is expected to start operation in the impending summer season.

Air India Express COO Ansbert D'Souza on Thursday in Mumbai officially handed over the schedule to Coastaldigest.com chairman Muhammad Asif.

Tentative schedule

As per the proposed schedule the Dammam-Mangalore-Calicut flight will operate twice a week in summer schedule. The first direct flight to Dammam is expected to take off from on Wednesday, April 3. The flight IX 385 on Wednesdays and Saturdays will arrive at Mangalore at 4:00 p.m. local time and depart at 5:00 p.m. It will reach at Dammam at 7:10 p.m. local time. The return flight IX 386 will depart from Dammam at 8:30 p.m. local time and arrive at Mangalore at 3:20 a.m. local time on Thursday s and Sundays.

Mr D'Souza said that the schedule would be updated in the official website of Air India Express in two days.

Riyadh bus service

Mr D'Souza clarified that it was difficult for Air India Express to immediately start direct flight between Mangalore and Riyadh due to energy distance factors. “If Coastaldigest.com provides bus service from Dammam Airport to Riyadh, Air India Express passengers can take benefit from it," he said.

Kochi-Mangalore

Meanwhile, Air India Express Mangalore Station Manager Melwin D'Silva said that the airline would also be connecting Mangalore and Kochi in summer schedule.

The flight will be operating three days a week, i.e., Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, with departure from Mangalore at 8:25 a.m. and arrival at Kochi at 9:25 a.m. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, the flight will take off from Kochi at 4: 25 p.m. and arrive in Mangalore at 5:25 p.m, with fares starting from Rs 1,700 onwards. Mangalore-Kozhikode will also be connected in the summer schedule, said Mr D'Silva.

Air India Express already connects to Kuwait, Abu-Dhabi, Muscat, Doha, Bahrain and Dubai on international routes. Dubai is connected with double daily flights with fares starting from Rs 6750.