Indian Airlines has completed ten years of air services into the United Arab Emirates, according to Gulf News.
The airline began its operations on February 15, 1992 with a twice-weekly service on the Calicut-Sharjah route, said K. Shyam Sundar, UAE manager.
"In the decade following, our operations in the UAE have expanded from one airport to four, and from a single destination in India to 15," he stressed.
The airline currently has a total amount of 43 weekly services from the UAE - 25 from Sharjah, 16 from Dubai, and one each from Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah - while operating direct flights to Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Kochi, Coimbatore, New Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai, Trichy, Trivandrum and Jaipur.
The official expressed that the carrier has also expanded its seat capacity from 290 per week to over 6,500 - "a phenomenal 22-fold growth".
During the previous financial year, it carried over 300,000 passengers on the Indo-UAE sector, resulting in an estimated 30% market share.
"Our USP in the UAE market has been direct operations to internal points in India," Shyam Sundar said. "We have also been effectively leveraging our vast domestic network within India to provide value-added services."
The airline currently has a fleet strength of 56 aircraft operating to 71 domestic destinations and 17 international points, with a turnover of just over Dh3 billion.
"On this occasion, Indian Airlines would like to record its gratitude to the UAE Government, the local travel trade, and all its passengers, clients, associates and vendors for their constant support," the official added. (Albawaba.com)
