Relief for expats in UAE: Air India Express restores Thiruvananthapuram-UAE services

In a major move, Air India Express has agreed to reinstate flights from Kerala’s capital, Thiruvananthapuram, to the UAE, after an earlier decision to reduce the number of flights from airports in Kerala to the Gulf sector triggered backlash.

As per the winter schedule of the low-cost airline, quite a number of services to Dubai and Abu Dhabi from Thiruvananthapuram have been cancelled. The airline had also cancelled a significant number of flights from Kochi, Kozhikode, and Kannur airports to Gulf countries during the upcoming winter schedule, which extends from late October to March.

However, as per reports, the airline decided to reinstate Dubai flights from 28th  October and Abu Dhabi services from 3rd December. Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor confirmed the news on his X: “Delighted to learn from @AirIndiaX that their flight operations are picking up from/to Thiruvananthapuram. As promised to me in my meeting with them, they will be reinstating Dubai flights from 28th October and Abu Dhabi  services from 3rd December,” Tharoor wrote in his post. 

Also read: Air India Express flight cuts: The full list of suspended and reduced Kerala-Gulf services

The news was confirmed by UAE-based travel agents, who said they received notifications about the continued operations of Kerala flights. “The airline had said that they had compared the demand between the south and north Indian sectors and realigned their network as per the demand. Now, due to the pressure from the community and politicians and with the media highlighting it, the flights from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai have been reinstated, and flights to Abu Dhabi will resume for the winter holidays," Sudheesh TP, general manager of Deira Travel and Tourist Agency, told Gulf News.

The news will come as a huge relief to Malayali expats in the UAE, as the holiday season was about to start with Diwali and Christmas.

Middle East