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About Us  |  Contact Us  |  Tracking   |   Weather   |  Feedback  |  SAIF zone  |  Sitemap | Home Press Releases - Cargo / Airlines The Gulf Today Wednesday, October 26, 2005 AIE comes to Sharjah AIR-INDIA Express (AIE) started operating to Sharjah on Tuesday when its chief operating officer commanded a colourfully liveried Boeing 737 aircraft to the tarmac. The flight from Kozhikode in the southern Indian state of Kerala was received by a high-level delegation led by Dr Ghanem Al Hajri, director general of the Department of Civil Aviation and Sharjah Airport Authority. The flight marked the re-entry of Air-India (A-I), the carrier's parent company, to Sharjah after a gap of over 15 years. Welcoming the service and terming the inaugural flight as a momentous occasion for the airport, Dr Hajri said it was an opportunity for both the airport and AIE to grow. Lauding the open sky policy being implemented by India, he said the service would go a long way in further strengtening Indo-UAE ties. Captain Pushpinder Singh AIE's cheif operating officer, who commanded the flight from Kozhikode, said the airline was hoping to make it a daily service with the expected arrival of five more Boeing 737-800 aircraft in April 2006. The fleet expansion would fuel addition of more stations to the AIE network, he said. The captain and a cabin crew member were earlier accorded a hearty welcome by Hajri and his team. Sanjeev Talwar, A-I regional director for Gulf, Middle East and Africa, said the decision to link Sharjah was almost automatic since it was the ideal airport for budget operations. The Sharjah airport he said, perfectly dovetailed with the AIE model of low in costs and high in utility. "We find Sharjah airport to be user friendly and thus able to serve the northern emirates better." Operating four times a week, the Sharjah-Kozhikode flight will be a boon to Keralites looking for cheaper alternatives, Talwar said. The airline launched on April 29 with a flight from Kochi to AbuDhabi, now operates 51 flights to Dubai, Sharjah, Al Ain and Muscat. The airline, that is set to add Doha and Bahrain to its Gulf network, enjoys a seat occupancy rate of 97 per cent. The Sharjah-Kozhikode service is available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The flight leaves Sharjah at 2.50pm to land in Kozhikode at 7:55om. The flight will extend to Mumbai after brief stop-over in Kozhikode. On the return leg, the flight departs Kozhikode at 11:30am and land Sharjah at 1:50pm. Back

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