The Hindu : Pact paves way for more flights to Saudi Arabia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 07, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Pact paves way for more flights to Saudi Arabia

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI JAN. 6. Air traffic between Kerala and Saudi Arabia is set to take a quantum jump soon, with India having signed a new bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia. Come March, the three airports in the State for the first time will have a direct air link with Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia lying in its eastern-central region.

While Saudi Airlines will start direct operations from the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery with three flights a week to Riyadh, Air-India will operate as many flights from Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram.

Announcing this at Nedumbassery today, K. Roy Paul, the secretary of civil aviation and chairman of Air-India, said that Air-India will operate two flights a week from Kozhikode to Riyadh via Thiruvananthapuram and one from Thiruvananthapuram to Riyadh via Kochi. The time and days of operations are yet to be announced.

The new flights are expected to bring relief to the Gulf Malayalees, nearly half of who are in Saudi Arabia. Although Air-India operates currently six flights a week to Riyadh from different points in the country, none of them is from Kerala. The total number of schedules Air-India flies to various destinations in Saudi Arabia a week is 24.

The new bilateral agreement will give a considerable boost to the existing air traffic between Saudi Arabia and Kerala, Mr. Paul said.

Mr. Paul said that Air-India will soon start an additional flight from Kozhikode to Jiddah and Damam each. Currently, the airline operates three flights a week between Jeddah and Kozhikode.

According to him, the new flights are expected to start operating as soon as the airline acquires an aircraft on lease by June.

Mr. Paul said that passengers coming to Kerala via Mumbai from different destinations abroad can profitably make use of the hub-and-spoke operation of Air-India. Flying Air-India to Kochi, Kozhikode or Thiruvananthapuram via Mumbai will cost the passenger less than the charge of a direct flight, he said.

Unfurling the expansion and renovation plans for the Calicut Airport at Karipur, the civil aviation secretary said that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) will spend Rs. 90 crores to give a facelift to the airport.

The project includes a new international terminal with state-of-the-art facilities and three aerobridges, and will be completed in two years, he said.

Thiruvananthapuram too will have a large terminal building matching international standard. However, the Rs. 150-crore expansion plan of the airport depends on the State Government making available the land required for the purpose, he said.

Although the Airport Authority of India (AAI) is investing for the expansion of Thiruvananthapuram airport, Mr. Paul said that any appropriate move from the private sector would be considered.

Replying to a question on the proposal for an airport at Kannur, Mr. Paul said that the Government is never against the project. If investments come from the private sector, an airport meeting the requirements of tourism can be considered at Kannur, he said.

Referring to privatisation of the metro airports, Mr. Paul said that restructuring of those airports through long-term leasing is on the cards.

Regarding the fleet acquisition of Air-India, the chairman said that a final decision will be taken by mid-February. He exuded confidence that the Government would give its nod to the airline's acquisition proposal.

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