The Hindu : Kerala News : Union Minister dedicates Air-India Express to nation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 30, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

Union Minister dedicates Air-India Express to nation

Kerala Bureau

Calcutta-London flight from next month; assurance on proposed airport in Kannur

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Air-India Express (AIE), a fully owned subsidiary of Air-India set up under the Air India Charters, took to the skies on Friday. The budget airlines launched its services from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Karipur. The inaugural flight took off from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport at 9.10 a.m. It was flagged off by the Governor, R.L. Bhatia.

The Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Praful Patel, dedicated Air-India Express, to the nation at a brief and colourful function.

Describing the Express flight as a `true reflection of the country's national character,' the Minister said by introducing a low-cost flight, the country had shown its gratitude to overseas Indians who stood by the nation in times of difficulty. "There was a time when India was looking for foreign exchange and it was the overseas Indians, working under difficult conditions in Gulf countries, who contributed to it. Now it's our turn to express thanks by providing them cheap and affordable flights back to their home country."

According to Mr. Patel, Air-India is breaking away from its popular image of being a Mumbai-centric airliner. Air-India Express planes would be stationed in the cities where the flights originate. "We will launch a Kolkata-London flight and a Delhi-Amritsar-Birmingham-Toronto flight next month," he said. "In this age of competition, Air-India should live up to the challenges posed by other private airlines. It should expand its fleet. Our mission is to transform aviation like the way telecommunication has changed the lives of people in this country."

Mr. Patel also assured the Central Government's support for a new airport in Kannur. "Your vision for Kannur will see the light of the day at the earliest," he told the Kerala Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, who was present on the dais.

Earlier, delivering the keynote address, Mr. Chandy said with the introduction of the budget flight, "a long cherished dream of Gulf Malayalis has been fulfilled."

The Chief Managing Director of Air-India, V. Thulasidas, said with the launch of Air-India Express, Air-India is `inaugurating a whole new airline and not just a flight.' The new airline will operate on fares at half the rates prevailing in the market, he added.

The inaugural flight from the Cochin International Airport was flagged off by the Minister for Revenue and Law, K.M. Mani, and the Industries Minister, V.K. Ebrahim Kunju. The flight to Abu Dhabi took off at 10.30 a.m, with 171 passengers on board. Mr. Mani described Air-India Express as the beginning of a new experience. Terming open skies as primary requirement in a globalised world, he said this meant removing the barriers in air passage.

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