Air India Express Mangalore-Sharjah flight on cards

Trivandrum-Mangalore-Sharjah flight likely from May

BY A CORRESPONDENT
February 7, 2006

Air India Express, the low-budget subsidiary airline of Air-India is planning to operate direct flights from Mangalore to West Asian Countries. A direct flight to Sharjah will be operated from Mangalore by May, if the required facilities at the airport are ready at that time.

A flight on Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore-Sharjah route may commence on May 7. An expert team has visited the Mangalore airport for preliminary inspection. If this new flight become a reality, it will be a great relief to those from coastal Karnataka and Kasarkode and Kannur districts of Kerala.

Flights to international destinations from Mangalore is one of the long-cherished dreams of Mangaloreans. At present, the airport is not in a position to handle international flights due to lack of facilities. By April this year, the second runway will be ready and then the airport will be able to handle wide-bodied aircraft and night landing.