The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has announced the summer schedule of flight operations that will come into effect from Sunday (March 29). The schedule will be in force till October 24.
As per the new schedule, there will be 533 international services (arrival and departure combined) as against 515 in the winter schedule while the number of domestic services has risen to 531, taking the total number of services from Kochi to 1,064.The total number of services will be 1,106 from May 1 onwards with the diversion of flights from Kozhikode airport owing to a partial shut down there.
Kuwait Airlines has doubled its weekly operations from 14 to 28 under the new schedule while Fly Dubai and Air India Express have added two more services to their existing quota of six and 72 services respectively.
In the domestic sector, the recently launched low-cost regional carrier Air Pegasus will be operating services from Bengaluru and is slated to operate ‘proving flights’ to Kochi on 12 and 13 April. A ‘proving flight’ is to check whether a new airline complies with operations, ground-handling and other procedures and facilities.
Besides, Air Asia India will be increasing two more services to its weekly operation of 40 services.
In view of the partial shutdown at the Kozhikode airport, Air India, Emirates and Saudi Airlines will be operating 196 additional services from Kochi. Of this, Emirates will be operating 14 services a week to Dubai. National carrier Air India will operate 12 additional flights in the Kozhikode-Riyadh- Jeddah sector while Saudi Airlines will fly 16 flights in the Jeddah-Dammam-Riyadh route.
In the international sector, most number of weekly services will be operated in Dubai sector.