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BY OUR AVIATION CORRESPONDENT
24 August 2005: About six airlines, including two international carriers, are waiting in the wings to enter the Kerala sky, banking on the state's potential as a tourist destination and an increase in business travel.
Paramount Airways, Malaysian Airlines, King Fisher Airlines, Go Air, Mahan Air from Iran and Air Deccan are expected to commence operations from the state.
According to Cochin International Airport Managing Director V J Kurian, with around six more players to commence operations from the state, the total number of players would increase to 18.
Malaysian Airlines intends to commence services on the Kuala Lumpur-Kochi sector by October with tri-weekly flights, while Paramount Airways would operate daily flights on the Kochi-Delhi sector from September first week.
Go Air and Mahan Air would be launching services from November, and Kingfisher from October.
Budget carrier Air Deccan is planning to commence its low-cost services from Kerala, with its initial flight slated to service Bangalore-Cochin-Agatti sector. The services, expected to be launched in September, would be operated with a 50-passenger capacity AT-42-320 model.
The budget airliner would also launch services on the Cochin-Mumbai sector by the second week of October. The carrier intends to operate an Airbus-320, which has a capacity of 180 passengers.
The new low cost services connecting to Kerala was likely to spur a considerable growth in tourism, apart from catering to the increase in demand for low costs services from the state.
It is expected that the addition of new players, including the low cost carrier, domestic tourists flow to Kerala will register further growth in coming years. Besides, Kerala and Malayasian tourism authorities are also learnt to be working on attractive tourist packages with the commencement of direct flights.
BY OUR AVIATION CORRESPONDENT
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