AI Express Opens Mangalore - Dubai Online Flight Booking
Daijiworld News Network - Dubai / Mangalore
Dubai, Sep 15: Finally, we have received the news which would delight each and every Mangalorean living in the UAE - that the dream of flying direct is said to be drawing closer, with Air India Express opening its online booking for direct Dubai-Mangalore sector, a 210-minute non-stop journey.
The inaugural flight (Flight NO IX 802) is on October 3, 2006, departing from Dubai at 1410 hrs and arriving at Bajpe at 1910 hrs.
The return flight from Mangalore is at 2100hrs IST and arrival at Dubai is 2300hrs UAE time
Air India Express will fly THREE times a week, Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The inaugural flight on Tuesday is an exception, as several VIPs are expected to fly on this flight.
Though all the formalities have been completed by the Air India Express and Mangalore Airport authorities, and as well as schedule is approved by AAI in New Delhi, AI express has specified a clause in its online booking "Schedules are subject to clearances from relevant Government Authorities. Please check and confirm with our Call Center at least 24 Hours before Departure"
Daijiworld has learnt that it is a standard clause for covering any possible, last-minute risk, as any hitch may crop up before the first flight takes off.
Readers, who have been following daijiworld.com reportage closely, may be aware that in July 2003, a special initiative had been taken by Rajesh Sequeira who formed a Karnataka NRI forum and ever since he has been making relentless efforts in this direction, many had laughed at him saying "The work which could not be undertaken over the past 33 (from 1970 to 2003 for international airport efforts) will never happen and this forum will be just around only for name's sake."
When Rajesh took enormous efforts towards this goal, UAE's well-known entrepreneur B R Shetty and other few entrepreneurs supported him. The Mangalore airport director put in special efforts despite his government position and commitment. Daijiworld has left no stone unturned in highlighting the news and updating the status from time to time. Over the past one-year period, more people became active in this direction in and around the Gulf with more and more NRI organizations coming up with support to this cause. Sincere efforts by West Coast NRI forum in Dhahran-Dhammam has to be mentioned specially at this juncture and they exerted tremendous pressure at the right quarters without seeking name or publicity.
If the flight indeed operates as scheduled on October 3, it will be a historic day for Mangaloreans worldwide and those who fly on the first flight will remember the day as the most cherished one in their lifetime.
For online booking Click - http://www.airindiaexpress.in
More details in this regard will be updated when available.
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