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avbuff · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 5031

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/Air-India-Express-to-reinstate-12-flights-to-Gulf-from-Dec/articleshow/6880206.cms

KOCHI: Air India Express (AIE) will reinstate 12 flights a week from Kerala to the Gulf starting next month and another 14 from January, as they had been cancelled due to staff shortage, a top official said.

Twelve services would be restored from next month and 14 more in January next, Air India Express Chief Operating Officer Captain Pawan Arora told reporters here yesterday.

Flights from Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram airports had been cancelled in September causing widespread uproar from passengers. Later, the same month, some of the flight were reinstated.

A recruitment exercise for cabin crew was done and they are being trained in a phased manner starting every Monday effective from this month. This will help overcome the crew shortage and hence Flight operations from Kerala will not be disturbed in the future, AIE said in a press release here.

The reinstated flights are: Kozhikode-Dubai-Kozhikode on Wednesdays and Saturdays;

Thiruvanthapuram-Abudhabi-Thiruvananthapuram- Wednesdays and Sundays; Thiruvananthapuram-Sharjah- Thiruvananthapuram: Thursday and Thiruvananthapuram-Dubai-Thiruvananthapuram on Saturdays.

From January, AIE plans to introduce few more flights from Kerala.

Arora reassured people of AIE's commitment to Kerala. "The entire team of Air India Express is totally committed to ensure smooth operations out of all the three Airports in Kerala," he said.

He also hinted that AIE would shift its base to Kerala soon and Thiruvananthapuram or Kochi were the priority cities.

The Engineering Hub of Air India would be shifted to the state capital after the completion of MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overall) unit at Thiruvananthapuram in April 2011.

AIE decided to use its aircraft in domestic sector as many aircraft are found idled during day time, after being operated in International sector especially during nights.Such aircraft will be operated to connect Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in domestic sector in the country, he added.