Mangaluru: Mangaluru International Airport is set for a mid-summer schedule increase in flights on the international sector, making connectivity with the Middle East more convenient for people of the region.
Air India Express added a weekly flight to Jeddah at the start of the summer schedule on April 3. From July 22, 2024, the airline will increase the frequency of its flights to Abu Dhabi to daily from the current four per week. The frequency augmentation to daily will start from July 22 with introduction of flight IX 819 which will depart for Abu Dhabi at 8.15pm. The pairing incoming flight IX 820 will arrive at 5.20am.
The departure of this new flight from Mangaluru is on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Air India Express operates to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Damman, Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait and Muscat.
IndiGo will spice up the competition by starting a daily flight to Abu Dhabi from August 9, 2024. The airline hitherto operated to Dubai as its sole international destination with four weekly flights from Mangaluru. Flight 6E 1443 will arrive from Abu Dhabi at 4pm and return to Abu Dhabi as flight 6E 1442 at 9.40pm. This will increase weekly flights to Abu Dhabi from the current 4 to 14.
On the domestic sector, Air India Express will introduce a flight to Bengaluru, also from July 22. Flight IX 1789 will reach Mangaluru at 6.45pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and depart as flight IX 1780 at 7.05am on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Air India Express from July 16 introduced a new daily flight to Mumbai. Flight IX 1295 will depart Mumbai at 12.30pm and reach Mangaluru at 2.05pm. On the return leg, flight IX 1296 will depart Mangaluru at 2.45pm and reach Mumbai at 4.25pm. Air India operated this flight as flight AI 689/AI 690 respectivelyup to July 15.
The augmentation of flights on both international and domestic sectors will increase the weekly flight movements from Mangaluru International Airport from current 276 to 344, an increase of 25% from August 9.