KOCHI: Air Arabia, a low-fare international airline with headquarters in Sharjah, UAE, will commence flights between Kochi and Sharjah from May 1. The airline, to begin with, will operate four flights a week. There will be daily flights from May 12.

Air Arabia launched its operations in India on March 26 last year with daily flights between Mumbai and Sharjah. Apart from flights to Kochi, Air Arabia will operate to Jaipur in May, according to Rohit Ramachandran, Country Manager of the airline.

Kochi is a prime destination for Indians working in the UAE and the Gulf countries, he said. The addition of the new destination would help business travellers and would also promote tourism by making Kerala more accessible as a holiday destination from the Middle East.

He said, the airline would provide an affordable option for travel more often. Air Arabia's fare structure is based on supply and demand.

The lowest one-way fare between Kochi and Sharjah will be Rs. 4,200, Mr. Ramachandran said. The airline's current fleet of five Airbus A320 aircraft would become eight by the end of 2006. For visitors to the UAE, Air Arabia offers a convenient visit visa service. Air Arabia offers e-tickets to save paper and processing costs. The airline is interested in operating to cities such as Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Coimbatore, Amritsar, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, etc. It is keen on flying to smaller cities, according to Mr. Ramachandran.

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