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Air Arabia First International Airline To Fly Nagpur
Indrani Rajkhowa - New Delhi
Air Arabia, one of UAE's leading low-cost airlines, kickstarted its operations
to and from Nagpur on October 17, becoming the first international airline flying
from the city. The flights will operate on the Nagpur-Sharjah sector thrice
a week and comes with fares starting from Rs 2,400 for a one-way flight. This
takes Air Arabia's destination count in India to two; Mumbai being the first
for the airline.
With this debut Nagpur has become the thirteenth airport in the country to go
international. Nagpur's direct international connection is not unexpected, considering
the city's logistical importance as the geographical centre of the country.
Commenting on the choice of destination, Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Thani,
chairman and CEO, Air Arabia, said, "As Nagpur has good rail and road connections
to key cities in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and the rest of
Maharashtra, the operation will definitely facilitate connectivity between these
major cities and Middle East."
The airline is also looking at traffic from the Vidharbha region, which has
a large number of expatriate workers. "We will focus on these cities as
they are not well connected internationally. The service from Nagpur would provide
a direct international connection to and from the interiors of the country.
As for the load factor, we expect more than 80 per cent in the first few weeks,"
said Rohit Ramachandran, country manager-India, Air Arabia.
Touching on the facilities available at the airport, the Airports Authority
of India informed that it would set up customs and immigration counters at the
airport to cater to the international operation. The body revealed that the
terminal building would be renovated in a year's time to provide an extra arrival
lounge for international services.
Speaking about the Mumbai sector, Ramachandran said, "We have averaged
a load factor of 90 per cent on the Mumbai sector since we commenced operations
seven months ago. Talks are on to increase the frequency in this sector."
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