Tag Archives: Visakhapatnam

Air India Express launches daily flights from Agartala to Guwahati & Kolkata

Air India Express has expanded its rapidly growing network by adding Agartala, the capital city of Tripura, as its 32nd domestic destination.

The airline launched daily direct flights from Agartala to Guwahati and Kolkata on Sunday, offering convenient one-stop connections to eight domestic destinations, including Delhi.

Additionally, Air India Express inaugurated new routes from Hyderabad to Guwahati, Bengaluru to Vijayawada, and Bengaluru to Indore, all commencing on the same day.

Agartala:

Air India Express operates 14 weekly flights from Agartala, providing daily direct services to Guwahati and Kolkata. The airline also offers convenient one-stop connections to Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, and Kochi.

Guwahati:

Air India Express operates 77 weekly flights from Guwahati, offering direct connections to eight destinations: Agartala, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, and Kolkata. The airline also provides one-stop connectivity to 20 domestic destinations, including Ayodhya, Goa, and Kozhikode, and to four international destinations: Bahrain, Dammam, Singapore, and Sharjah.

Kolkata:

Air India Express operates 124 weekly flights from Kolkata, connecting directly to 12 destinations, including Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Kochi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Bagdogra, Jaipur, Chennai, Surat, and Varanasi. The airline also offers connectivity to 22 one-stop destinations, such as Abu Dhabi, Kozhikode, Kannur, Doha, Dubai, Lucknow, Kuwait, Thiruvananthapuram, and Gwalior.

Hyderabad:

Air India Express operates 187 weekly flights from Hyderabad, connecting directly to 18 domestic and three international destinations, including Amritsar, Bagdogra, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Dammam, Goa, Guwahati, Jaipur, Jeddah, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Riyadh, Srinagar, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Varanasi, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam. The airline also provides one-stop connections to 10 domestic destinations, such as Agartala, Ayodhya, and Gwalior, and nine international destinations, including Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat, Salalah, Sharjah, and Singapore.

Bengaluru:

Air India Express operates 376 weekly flights from Bengaluru, connecting directly to 24 domestic destinations, such as Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Ranchi, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Varanasi, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam, and to Abu Dhabi internationally. Additionally, the airline provides one-stop connectivity to six domestic destinations, such as Agartala, Imphal, and Srinagar, and 12 international destinations, including Al Ain, Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat, Riyadh, Salalah, Sharjah, and Singapore.

Indore:

Air India Express operates flights from Indore, offering direct connections to three destinations: Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Sharjah. The airline also provides one-stop connectivity to 18 destinations, such as Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Goa, Gwalior, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Varanasi, and Visakhapatnam, and to Jeddah internationally.

Vijayawada:

Air India Express operates 16 weekly departures from Vijayawada, offering direct connections to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Sharjah in United Arab Emirates. The airline also provides convenient one-stop itineraries to 18 domestic destinations, including Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Gwalior, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Varanasi, and Visakhapatnam, as well as one international destination, Jeddah.

 

 

Flight Schedule from 1 September, 2024
From/ To Agartala
Departure Arrival Departure Time Arrival Time Frequency
Guwahati Agartala 10:15 11:20 Daily
Agartala Guwahati 11:50 12:45 Daily
Kolkata Agartala 07:30 08:30 Daily
Agartala Kolkata 09:00 10:05 Daily
Via Guwahati (No Aircraft Change)
Delhi Agartala 07:20 11:20 Daily
Agartala Delhi 11:50 16:05 Daily
From/ To Hyderabad
Hyderabad Guwahati 07:15 09:50 Daily
Guwahati Hyderabad 13:15 15:30 Daily
From/ To Bengaluru
Bengaluru Indore 11:10 13:00 Daily
Indore Bengaluru 13:30 15:30 Daily
Bengaluru Vijayawada 16:05 17:40 Daily
Vijayawada Bengaluru 18:10 19:50 Daily

 

 

 

Bhubaneswar takes flight again with AirAsia

 

AirAsia has announced the resumption of flights to the culturally-rich city of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, with thrice-weekly flights commencing on May 28, 2024.

This announcement follows AirAsia’s continuous efforts to enhance air connectivity between Malaysia and India, having launched 13 routes since 2008. The Kuala Lumpur-Bhubaneswar flights will further expand AirAsia’s unique routes to India, adding to the destinations of Jaipur and Visakhapatnam. AirAsia is the only airline in Malaysia offering direct flights to these cities.

AirAsia has played a pivotal role in connecting more than five million passengers between India, Malaysia, and beyond over the last six years. The recent visa-free entry for Indian citizens visiting Malaysia has contributed to a significant increase in passenger numbers.

Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group Limited, expressed the airline’s commitment to enhancing accessible connectivity to India. Bhubaneswar, known as the ‘Temple City’ of India, is renowned for its sandstone temples dating back to the 7th century, offering a rich cultural and architectural heritage.

To celebrate the resumption of flights to Bhubaneswar, promotional fares are available for booking until March 17, 2024, with a starting fare of RM 199 for one-way travel from Kuala Lumpur and INR 4,999 from Bhubaneswar to Kuala Lumpur for travel between May 28, 2024, and June 18, 2025. These fares can be booked on airasia.com and the AirAsia MOVE app.

AirAsia currently operates direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to 13 cities in India, with additional routes to Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, and Ahmedabad scheduled to commence in April and May 2024. The medium-haul affiliate, AirAsia X Malaysia, provides direct routes from Kuala Lumpur to New Delhi and Amritsar with eight flights weekly.

AirAsia further expands connectivity to Kuala Lumpur, resuming direct flights from Visakhapatnam

INDIA, 5 February 2024 ‒ AirAsia continues to expand its vast network from India to Malaysia, announcing the long-awaited resumption of flights from Visakhapatnam to the bustling Kuala Lumpur, as the only airline in Malaysia with direct connectivity between the two cities.

Commencing 26 April 2024, AirAsia will operate three times weekly flights from Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal to Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur. A city that needs no introduction, Kuala Lumpur is the jewel of Southeast Asia, home to ‘Merdeka Tower 118’, the world’s second tallest tower, a melting pot of vibrant cultures and some of the world’s oldest rainforests. For food enthusiasts, Kuala Lumpur is a paradise to indulge your taste buds in a culinary journey that spans Malay, Chinese, and Indian cuisines. Tourists from near and far also often flock to the city to pay a visit to the iconic ‘Batu Caves’, an awe-inspiring limestone hill featuring a series of caves and cave temples, adorned with intricate Hindu sculptures and shrines.

To mark the resumption of this brand new route, flights to Kuala Lumpur from Visakhapatnam are on sale from now till 14 Feb 2024 with a starting fare of only INR4,999* all-in-one-way, and just RM199* from Kuala Lumpur to Visakhapatnam for travel between 26 April 2024 and 19 March 2025. Head over to the airasia Superapp and start planning your journey with us!

Group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group, Bo Lingam expressed his excitement, saying: “AirAsia is thrilled to continue this celebratory momentum of growing connectivity in one of our biggest international markets ‒ India ‒ as we continue to make travel more affordable and accessible to all. A direct route from Visakhapatnam to Kuala Lumpur is a core part of our expansion plans and we’re delighted that it is taking off at an opportune time for AirAsia, marking our fourth and counting route from India this year.

“We look forward to connecting travellers to the beautiful Kuala Lumpur that is immersed in rich culture as well as enchanting natural wonders, and links travellers from India affordably to other parts of Malaysia, South East Asia and further afield on our vast network. Similarly, we look forward to flying travellers from Malaysia’s capital who are keen to visit the quaint and stunning Visakhapatnam.This expansion reflects our dedication to providing seamless and inexpensive travel options, linking different people to different cultures. As we progress into 2024 and with hopes for a wonderful year for travel ahead, AirAsia will be looking to further expand our presence in India and allow for more affordable connectivity between our two nations and beyond.”

The airline recently announced three other new routes from India to Kuala Lumpur that will begin operating this year ‒ Thiruvananthapuram in February, serving as AirAsia’s second route from the state of Kerala following Kochi, Jaipur in April and Ahmedabad in May. In addition, AirAsia and sister airline AirAsia X fly from six cities in south India ‒ Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Kochi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata, as well as from two cities in the north ‒ New Delhi and Amritsar. That’s not all ‒ the airline also offers affordable and accessible Fly-Thru options, where guests travelling from India to Malaysia can utilise Kuala Lumpur as a connecting hub to AirAsia’s more than 130 destinations in 22 countries.

AirAsia guests can also fly from Visakhapatnam to Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok direct with a thrice-weekly frequency starting from 9 April 2024.

Stay tuned to all-things-AirAsia by following us on Instagram at @flyairasia.in.

Malaysia Airlines eyes code-share with Indian carrier; to expand network in North East & South India

In a bid to strengthen its foothold in the lucrative Indian aviation market, Malaysia Airlines is set to enter into a code-share partnership with an Indian carrier. Captain Izham Ismail, the Group Managing Director of Malaysia Aviation Group, expressed the airline’s enthusiasm for participating in India’s success story.

Currently operating 69 weekly flights to nine Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, Malaysia Airlines is eyeing further expansion in both the North East and South India. The airline recently increased its weekly flights on the Amritsar-Kuala Lumpur route and is actively engaged in negotiations for a comprehensive codeshare agreement with an undisclosed Indian airline.

The forthcoming collaboration aims to enhance connectivity and provide seamless travel experiences for passengers. The airline, having successfully undergone financial restructuring, is now on a path to revival and growth.

Captain Ismail shared insights into the airline’s future plans, indicating a keen interest in North East destinations like Guwahati and Kolkata, along with potential flights to Trichy, Visakhapatnam, and Goa in South India. The expansion will be facilitated by the introduction of new Boeing 737-8s and Airbus 330 neos to the airline’s existing fleet of 100 planes, with projections to reach 170 by 2030.

Acknowledging the rapid growth of India’s aviation market, Captain Ismail emphasised the importance of strategic partnerships in the face of competition from domestic carriers like IndiGo and Air India. Malaysia Airlines has a history of successful partnerships with airlines such as Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Qatar Airways.

The overarching goal for Malaysia Airlines is to be among the top 10 global airlines and the top 5 in the Asia Pacific region. Captain Ismail emphasized the airline’s commitment to providing an enhanced Customer Value Proposition (CVP), focusing on upgrading services, cabin comfort, and in-flight dining to cater to India’s diverse population.

With India’s annual domestic air passenger traffic projected to double to around 300 million by 2030, Malaysia Airlines is positioning itself to tap into the immense potential of this dynamic market. The strategic moves underscore the airline’s ambition to play a significant role in shaping the future of air travel in the region.

 

Leading Global Cruise Players Eager to Sail into Indian Waters

The success of MV Ganga Vilas and other Indian river cruises has attracted global cruise companies to set their sights on India. This success has also motivated Indian entities to consider international routes. Two major global players are currently investigating cruise opportunities along India’s waterways, engaging in discussions with the Ministry of Shipping, Ports, and Waterways (MoPSW) regarding potential routes.

According to an official monitoring these developments, international giants like MSC Cruises, known for Mediterranean voyages, and Royal Caribbean, active in regions like Singapore and Thailand, are aiming to enter the Indian market.

The proposed routes encompass journeys such as Mumbai-Goa, Mumbai-Lakshadweep, Mumbai-Daman & Diu, and Chennai-Sri Lanka, among others. The majority of these routes are centered around Mumbai as the primary hub.

“There are global players that are eyeing operations along the west coast routes and to Sri Lanka. Compared to the east coast, where the sea and waters are relatively rough, the western waters are calmer and hence more popular,” said the official . India is also exploring cruise or waterways travel along India-Bangladesh protocol routes.

The global river cruises market is anticipated to reach approximately $1.71 billion in revenues by 2032, up from $1.45 billion in 2022, reflecting a 2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) between 2022 and 2032.

In the current landscape, existing cruises continue to thrive. Ministry officials note that MV Ganga Vilas is fully booked until March, with its second journey anticipated soon. Cordelia Cruises has also experienced substantial growth, navigating through ports in Mumbai, Goa, Kochi, Lakshadweep, Diu, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, and three destinations in Sri Lanka—Hambantota, Trincomalee, and Jaffna. Total sailings have exceeded 200, accommodating over 400,000 passengers.

Italian cruise liner Costa has been maintaining a steady course. Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, notes an initial surge post Cordelia’s launch, maintaining sustained momentum at a 100% month-on-month rate throughout the year.

The Tourism Ministry forecasts the cruise tourism market to reach a value of INR 35,500 crore by 2041, hosting a passenger count of 4 million. (Source The Business Line)

Air India Express to launch daily flights from Mumbai & Hyderabad to Dammam

Air India Express is set to launch daily direct flights connecting Mumbai–Dammam and Hyderabad–Dammam. The operations on these routes will commence on January 19, 2024, and flights can now be booked with fares starting at INR 15,312 (BOM-DMM), INR 16,613 (HYD-DMM), SAR 355 (DMM-BOM), and SAR 505 (DMM-HYD) onwards on the airline’s award-winning app, official website airindiaexpress.com, and other major booking platforms.

Mumbai- Dammam Departure for Flight IX 0281 at 2:55 and arrival at 4:50
Dammam- Mumbai Departure for Flight IX 0282 at 17:20 and arrival at 23:30
Hyderabad – Dammam Departure for Flight IX 0929 at 13:40 and arrival at 16:20
Dammam – Hyderabad Departure for Flight IX 0930 at 5:50 and arrival at 12:35

Commenting on the launch, Tara Naidu, VP, International Business at Air India Express, said, “Saudi Arabia is a rapidly emerging market with immense potential and promising opportunities. We offer 28 weekly direct flights connecting Dammam with Hyderabad, Kozhikode, Kochi, Mumbai, Mangalore, and Thiruvananthapuram. The new routes will bolster our network, enabling us to provide convenient one-stop itineraries from Dammam to destinations such as Bhubaneswar, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Gwalior, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ranchi, and Visakhapatnam. Additionally, we also operate nine weekly flights each from Jeddah and Riyadh to various destinations in India.”

Air India Express offers daily direct flights connecting Mumbai with eight destinations, including key destinations such as Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Dammam, Lucknow and Sharjah. With 15 daily direct flights, the airline connects Hyderabad with 10 destinations across its network, including Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Goa, Kochi, Lucknow, Visakhapatnam and more.