Date:01/05/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/05/01/stories/2009050154840700.htm

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Air India Express commences Tiruchi-Abu Dhabi flights

S.Ganesan

—Photo:M_Moorthy

CONVENIENT: The inaugural flight of the Air India Express on the Chennai-Tiruchi-Abu Dhabi sector at the Tiruchi Airport on Thursday.

TIRUCHI: Air India Express on Thursday launched a twice-a-week service on the Chennai-Tiruchi-Abu Dhabi sector.

Abu Dhabi will be the third foreign destination to be linked from Tiruchi by the low cost carrier. The Chennai-Tiruchi-Abu Dhabi flights (IX 613/614) would be operated on Thursdays and Saturdays.

The flight will depart Chennai at 12.50 p.m. and arrive here at 1.40 p.m. It would leave for Abu Dhabi at 2.30 p.m.

In the return direction, the flight will arrive at Tiruchi from Abu Dhabi at 11.55 p.m. and depart for Chennai at 12.50 a.m. It will reach Chennai at 1.40 a.m. The airline offers attractive one way fare starting from Rs.6,439 from Tiruchi to Abu Dhabi.

The inaugural flight was marked by a simple function at the airport. Airport Director S.Sreekumar, Deputy General Manager (Air Traffic Control) K.Shivakumar and the Station Manager of National Aviation Company of India T.H.Radhakrishnan were present.

Kuala Lumpur service

Sources indicated that the airline could introduce a service to Kuala Lumpur from here by May and an aircraft is likely to be positioned at the Tiruchi airport. The airlines could also opt to make the city a hub for its operations in the region.