Trichy: After the break of almost a decade, AirIndiaExpress would be the much-awaited weekly commercial flight service between Trichy and Kuwait on May 3. However, the services will be doubled from June. 

Till now, Air India Express started their two services in this sector in 1999, and now it is continued till October 2007. After a period of 15 years, the airline is to restore the scheduled commercial flight service on Tuesdays. Additional services will be operated on Saturdays from June. 

Flight IX 693 will leave Trichy at 12.50 pm and reach Kuwait City at 4.10 pm, and the return flight will depart Kuwait City at 5.10 pm and come to Trichy at 12.35 am.

Even at the time of the pandemic, Kuwait airways worked freely so that they could provide services to Trichy to send back the Tamils who were stranded in the country. Jazeera Airways operated a few charter flights. Air India and IndiGo Air operated several services under Vande Bharat Mission. 

Moreover, as per the airport sources, 303 aircraft were operated in both directions in this sector during the two years of lockdown, handling 27,000 passengers.

A B Khaleed Ahmed Baqavee, general secretary of Kuwait Tamil Islamic committee, welcomed the restoration of flight services after more than 15 years. 

As per Khaled, “we were nearly one lakh Tamil immigrants living in Kuwait, we depend on Trichy international airport for our travel needs. Kuwait is the most required sector for us. Many flights were not going on, and there was an absence of services to Trichy; Tamil was dependent upon Sri Lankan airlines by spending more money and time.  

Moreover, this is the longest sector operated by Air India Express when compared to its other services, and it is also appreciable that Air India took the initiative in order to schedule a commercial flight in this sector despite limited resources available to the service provider after considering the potential of the sector even after the pandemic period.