In a strategic move to enhance its network, Air India Express, India’s first international budget airline, has launched its first direct international flight from Indian city Bengaluru to United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital Abu Dhabi.
The new route aims to improve connectivity between India’s IT hub and Abu Dhabi.
The launch was celebrated with a welcome ceremony at Kempegowda International Airport on Tuesday, July 23.
Flight schedule
- The Bengaluru-Abu Dhabi service operates four times a week— Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, departing from Bengaluru at 3:25 pm and arriving in Abu Dhabi at 6 pm.
- The return flights will depart Abu Dhabi at 6:55 pm and return to Bengaluru at 12:40 am on the same day.
“With the launch of the Bengaluru-Abu Dhabi flight, guests from cities such as Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Pune, Ranchi, Varanasi, and Visakhapatnam now have the option to connect conveniently to Abu Dhabi through one-stop itineraries via Bengaluru.”
Air India Express said in a statement.
The airline operates direct flights connecting Abu Dhabi to seven Indian destinations:
- Bengaluru
- Kannur
- Kochi
- Kozhikode
- Mangaluru
- Mumbai
- Thiruvananthapuram
- Tiruchirappalli
In addition, it offers one-stop itineraries connecting 17 Indian cities to Abu Dhabi.
On Wednesday, July 17, IndiGo, an Indian low-cost carrier, said that it will introduce direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Mangaluru, Coimbatore, and Tiruchirappalli next month.
Abu Dhabi to Mangaluru flights will begin daily from August 9, Tiruchirappalli to Abu Dhabi flights will operate four times a week from August 11, and Coimbatore to Abu Dhabi flights will operate three times weekly from August 10.
