Amid geopolitical tensions, Air India group to operate 72 West Asia flights
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New Delhi: Amidst the geopolitical concerns, Air India and Air India Express are planning to operate a total of 72 scheduled and unscheduled flights to and from the West Asia region on Sunday.
On March 15, both airlines will resume their regular flights to and from Jeddah and Muscat, including eight flights between India and Jeddah.
“Of these, Air India will operate one return service each from Delhi and Mumbai, while Air India Express will also operate one flight each from Bengaluru and Kozhikode,” said the airline.
Air India Express will also operate 12 scheduled flights to and from Muscat, with services from Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram.
In addition, Air India and Air India Express would operate a total of 52 non-scheduled flights to and from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, subject to the availability of slots and other prevailing conditions at the departure stations at the time, IANS reported.
According to the airline, these flights are being operated with the requisite permissions from the relevant Indian and local regulatory authorities.
“Air India group is exploring every opportunity to operate other additional ad-hoc flights to and from destinations in West Asia,” it added.
Meanwhile, after Air India and IndiGo, Akasa Air has introduced a fuel surcharge on its flights, following a rise in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices amid evolving geopolitical developments in the Middle East.
The airline said the surcharge will range from Rs 199 to Rs 1,300 across its domestic and international routes.
IndiGo earlier announced a fuel surcharge on both domestic and international flight tickets, starting March 14. In a statement, the airline said the surcharge will range between Rs 425 and Rs 2,300 depending on the route.
Air India and Air India Express also announced the introduction of a fuel surcharge on flight tickets. According to the airline group, a fuel surcharge of Rs 399 per ticket on domestic flights came into effect from March 12.