Madurai airport got two more flight services – one providing the first direct air link to Mumbai by Jet Airways and the other the third service by Indigo connecting Chennai – on Sunday.
A host of dignitaries, including Madurai MP R. Gopalakrishnan, Head (Administration), Sterlite Copper and Vedanta Limited, Thoothukudi, Paresh Gajjar, Executive Director, People’s Watch, Henry Tiphange and Jet Airways Head (Domestic Sales) - India, V. Raja, General Manager, Sales (South India), U. Shenoy were among those who participated at the inaugural ceremony of the Madurai-Mumbai direct flight service.
Mr. Raja said the new service was to match the demand of flight service with the people of Madurai and surrounding areas, beyond Chennai. “We found that a lot of people were flying to far-off destinations such as Pune, Indore, Kolkatta and Ahmedabad. This service to Mumbai will give them the best option for their journey (with better connectivity to various destinations),” he said.
Besides, the timing of the flight would reduce the waiting time for international passengers who fly from Mumbai to various destinations such as London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Gulf coutries, he added.
Jet Airways will operate Being 737-800 with 12 business and 156 economy class seats.
“Jet Airways would like to have a fair share of the cargo and passenger movement from Madurai airport with a competitive pricing and with full service,” he added.
The first boarding pass was given to Chairman and Managing Director of Union Bank of India Arun Tiwari.
The flight would depart from Mumbai at 10.55 a.m. and reach Madurai at 1 p.m. It would fly back to Mumbai at 1.35 p.m. and arrive there at 3.35 p.m. This service also offered an onward connectivity to New Delhi.
Chennai-Madurai
Meanwhile, Indigo, the low cost airliner that was the last to enter Madurai airport early this month, launched its third flight to Chennai on Sunday.
The Airbus 320 flight will leave Chennai at 9.20 a.m. and arrive at Madurai at 10.30 am. This will provide a better connectivity to international passengers arriving at Chennai from various destinations early in the morning to reach the southern districts.
It would leave Madurai at 10.50 a.m. and reach Chennai at 11.50 a.m.
