Air India Express commenced operations of the direct flights between Mangaluru and the port city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
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Jeddah is the eighth International destination served by Mangaluru International Airport (MIA). The inaugural leg of the weekly flight IX 797 from Mangaluru to Jeddah flew in from Tiruchirappalli as IX 1499, also a new domestic connection for Mangaluru.
People embarking for umrah made up most of the passengers on the inaugural flight to Jeddah. Shabih Ahmed Kazi, a businessman who was among the first passengers to purchase a ticket, while thanking both the airport and the airline, hoped that the frequency between the two destinations will increase. Nirmala Cardoza, another passenger, said the direct flight to Jeddah is a realisation of a 29-year-long-wait, said a release. from MIA
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The departure hall of the airport wore a festive look for the inaugural flight. Chief Airport Officer Mukesh Nankani lit the traditional lamp along with heads of major stakeholder departments including the Customs, Immigration, Airport Security Group of CISF and HoDs of the airport. Mr. Nankani later joined the young travelers and Mr. Kazi in cutting a celebratory cake and handed over the boarding pass to the first passenger.
The airport presented a rose, a certificate, and a pouch of assorted dry fruits to passengers who boarded the inaugural flight. It gave a traditional welcome to flight IX 1499 skippered by Captain Anmol Deep Sin Padda when it arrived from Tiruchirappalli. Captain Padda later steered the inaugural flight to Jeddah with a new set of crew. The flight from Tiruchirappalli to Jeddah via Mangaluru operates every Wednesday and the return flight on Thursday.
Air India Express in a release said as the second-largest International operator from Mangaluru with 47 weekly departures, it connects to various domestic and international destinations such as Bengaluru, Jeddah, Tiruchirappalli, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, and Muscat.