Air India Express adds weekly flight between Trichy, Sharjah

TRICHY: In response to the growing demand in the sector, Air India Express has announced the launch of an additional weekly flight service between Trichy and Sharjah. Currently operating a daily flight service on this route, the airline aims to cater to the increasing passenger traffic by adding an extra flight. With this new service, the total number of weekly flights between Trichy and Sharjah will increase from seven to eight.

According to officials, the new flight will depart from Trichy at 1.20 am, reaching Sharjah at 4.10 am. The return flight will depart from Sharjah at 5.10 am and arrive in Trichy at 11 am. This expansion has been welcomed by frequent fliers who have shown consistent patronage on this route.

Air India Express had previously resumed the Trichy-Sharjah service in September 2016 after a six-year hiatus. Now, after seven years of successful operations, the airline has decided to introduce an additional flight to meet the rising passenger demand in the sector, said airport sources.

It is worth noting that Indian Airlines initially launched four weekly services on this route in 1995, which later became a weekly service before being terminated in 2009. The service was revived in September 2016 during Ashok Gajapathi Raju’s tenure as the Union minister for civil aviation.

During the previous financial year, approximately 1.10 lakh passengers utilized this sector. With an impressive seat occupancy rate of 80% during the last year, airline operators have decided to increase the frequency of flights, said sources.

Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, Air India Express operated two daily services on this route to repatriate Tamils stranded abroad for nearly five months starting from November 2021.