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Three daily flights by AI for Mecca

MALAPPURAM: Beginning Friday, Air India will operate three daily flights to carry Haj pilgrims from Kerala and Lakshadweep to Mecca. Flight AI-3611 will leave Karipur at 6.30 a.m. on Friday. The other two flights will be at 10.05 a.m. (AI-3731) and 12.45 p.m. (AI-2455). The triple-flight schedule will continue till Tuesday.

Air India operated Airbus A300-B4 aircraft on Wednesday and Thursday, carrying 215 passengers on each flight.

On Friday, the first flight will be Boeing 737-800, which will carry 160 passengers. The second flight (AI-3731) will be Boeing 747 Combi, which will carry 293 passengers. And the third flight (AI-2455), Airbus A300-B4, will carry 215 passengers. Apart from those three aircraft, Air India will operate Boeing 747 Jumbo on December 3, 4 and 5. Airbus A300-B4 and Boeing 737-800 are short-medium haul aircraft and, therefore, cannot fly direct to Jeddah. They will be refuelled at Sharjah en route to Jeddah. However, Boeing 747 Combi and Jumbo will fly directly to Jeddah, said Air India Manager Yogesh Mundhwa. He said Air India chose to operate a combination of flights to take care of the committed load of the pilgrims’ baggage.

Boeing 747 Combi and Jumbo can carry a large amount of cargo; but Boeing 737-800 cannot. Some baggage of passengers going on Boeing 737-800 will be carried by 747 Combi planes. Air India has scheduled these aircraft in pairs. Although Airbus A300-B4 aircraft has a larger capacity, it will carry only 215 passengers. N. Kannan, area marketing manager of Air India (formerly Indian), said that capacity was restricted at 215 all economy to accommodate more baggage. Although the aircraft is old, it is quite dependable, he said.

Although A300-B4 has a large fuel tank, this ageing flying machine will land at Sharjah for refuelling. Airline sources said the payload capacity of an aircraft would diminish as it becomes old.

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