Air India Express expands UAE footprint from March 28

Low-cost carrier Air India Express will start flights to Ras Al Khaimah International Airport this March.

Air India Express will start with 4 flights per week to Kozhikode (Calicut), starting on March 28, and are looking to expand to a daily service in near future as growing number of Indian expatriates in the Northern Emirates has had to cope with limited options from air carriers over the past few years as demand has risen. The new route will help to alleviate those issues.

The announcement was made during a press conference that was attended by Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of RAK Airport and Department of Civil Aviation; Muralidharan, the Deputy Consul General of India; Mohammed Qazi, CEO and Board Member RAK International Airport; K. Shyamsunder, Chief Executive Officer, Air India Express; Melwin D'Silva, Regional Manager - Gulf, Middle East & Africa and the heads of the Airport Police Department, Airport Immigration Department and Customs.

Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi said: "There was much need for this connectivity, but we also believe that this route may require more than a daily frequency to satisfy the growing demand. We would therefore urge the authorities to consider the needs of the passengers and increase seat allocations for high demand sectors."

Mohammed Qazi  said: "India has strong ties with Ras Al Khaimah for the business and leisure markets, going both ways. We are confident that the route will be a great success, as the market already exists and is growing. We hope to see Air India Express grow its footprint in the Northern Emirates, both in terms of frequencies and routes. As well as passengers originating in Ras Al Khaimah, the Airport is easily accessible from Fujairah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and Sharjah, and with quick passenger processing, efficient aircraft turnaround, no slot restriction and free car parking, we are the ideal location for low cost airlines to operate from."

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