RAK Airways, the fourth national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has evinced interest in operating daily flights to and from Ras Al Khaimah to Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Mangalore from the end of the year to cater to the needs of non-resident Keralites working in the northern emirate.
At a press conference here on Wednesday, Chief Executive Officer of the airline Omar Jahmeh said a delegation led by him had met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Minister in-charge of airports K. Babu on Tuesday to seek their support for enhancing the flight operations to Kerala from Ras Al Khaimah and to fly to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
“We had approached the Union Civil Aviation Ministry for the traffic rights to fly to the other two airports of the State. We had been denied the rights citing bilateral agreement,” Mr. Jahmeh said. If the airline got the nod, it would be ready to operate to Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Mangalore, and Hyderabad by the end of the year.
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The airline currently operates flights to Kozhikode in the State.
Mr. Jahmeh said the UAE was home to more than two million Indians of whom nearly 25 per cent lived and worked in Ras Al Khaimah. They had to travel between two hours and four hours by road to reach an airport. RAK Airways was the only airline operating to India and Kerala from Ras Al Khaimah.
Replying to a question, he said the airline was a full-service airline and the fares were competitive. The Chairman of Ras Al Khaimah Airport and Civil Aviation had extended an invitation to all Indian carriers to operate from the northern emirate to cater to the needs of the Indian expatriate community. The airport was fully equipped to handle international flights and an upgrade was on the way.
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Pointing out that the airline's UAE Visa Package – visitor visa with return airfare – and its low fares were popular with non-resident Keralites, Mr. Jahmeh said the airline had increased the frequency of flights to Kozhikode from three a week to five times a week.
Saleem, president of the Indian Association, Ras Al Khaimah, said Mr. Chandy and Mr. Babu were informed that the UAE was an excellent investment destination for India. More than 100 Indian companies operated out of the Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone. The majority of the investors in the free-trade zone were from Kerala, Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad.
Airline Vice-President, Corporate Strategy, Rajendran Vellapalth; Country Manager, India, Mohmmed Shihas; and Chairman, Great India Business and Passenger Sales Agent, RAK Airways, E.M. Najeeb were present.