The Hindu : Front Page : AI Express plans Tiruchi-Dubai service

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 12, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

AI Express plans Tiruchi-Dubai service

S. Ganesan

High-level team explores feasibility of making Tiruchi a hub for the airline

TIRUCHI: Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India, is likely to introduce direct flights on the Tiruchi-Dubai sector from June.

A high-level team from the airlines, which was on a feasibility assessment visit here this week, has given positive signals on introduction of the service, given the huge market potential for services to the United Arab Emirates. Air India has conducted a market study and is keen to tap the ethnic-migrant traffic on the sector.

The team, comprising senior officials from the airline's operations, commercial and engineering divisions from Mumbai and Chennai, also explored the feasibility of making Tiruchi a hub for the airline, informed sources told The Hindu . The team members inspected ground handling and engineering infrastructure available at the airport.

Officials of the Airports Authority of India made a detailed presentation to the team on development work currently under way at the airport, including runway expansion, which is to be completed by April. The team is likely to submit a report to the Air India Express management in the next few days following which the flight schedule would be firmed up.

Air India Express would be the second low-cost airline to introduce services from Tiruchi following Air Deccan, which, however, operates only on the domestic sector.

Sources said Air India Express is likely to operate four flights a week on the Tiruchi-Dubai sector, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Based on market response, the airline would consider introducing services to other Gulf destinations.

With Tiruchi being one among the 35 non-metro airports in the country to be developed by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, the air travel industry here is all set for a boom.

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