Expats hope new flight service will cut ticket prices to Kannur

Dubai - The Kannur-Dubai flight via GoAir is priced at a starting rate of Dh335.

Following the official launch of GoAir's Dubai-Kannur-Dubai flights, expatriates from the northern districts of the Indian state of Kerala are hoping that air ticket prices to this the sector will drop considerably.
The Indian airline will launch daily non-stop flights between Dubai and Kannur today, officials announced at a launch ceremony on Wednesday. They said the Kannur-Dubai flight is priced at a starting rate of Dh335. However, passengers have been advised to book the tickets in advance to avail the launch prices.
"The air route enables further connectivity to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai," said Arjun Dasgupta, GoAir vice-president - international, at a Press meet in Dubai. He explained: "Daily flight schedule from Dubai to Kannur is effective July 25 at 12.20am. The flight will land in Kannur at 5.35am. The Kannur-Dubai flight will take off at 7.05pm and will land in Dubai at 9.55pm."
GoAir's launch has relieved passengers travelling from the UAE to Kannur, in the hope that air ticket prices would reduce owing to a new player in the market. Since the airport was opened and international flights were launched, ticket prices to Kannur have been considerably higher than flights to other airports in Kerala.
Nithin Sreehari, a Dubai-based sales and marketing professional, said: "I am from Kannur and I've been waiting to take a flight to my hometown ever since the opening of the airport, but no such luck. The tickets are too expensive considering the prices for the entire family."
For expats like Nithin, booking tickets in advance or purchasing tickets on connecting flights are the only way to save some money.
Bakul Gala, GoAir vice-president - corporate communications and PR, said: "Passengers can avail of the low rates only if they book the tickets in advance, an average of two months ahead of flying to Kannur."
According to travel fare aggregator website SkyScanner, the cheapest peak return tickets from Dubai to Kannur in August (1-10) is priced at Dh2091. Even then, direct flight to Kannur during this time period is not available and passengers have to take connecting flights. Meanwhile, non-stop tickets from Dubai to Kannur from September 1 to 10 are priced at Dh1,391.
In January, Air India Express had announced that it would increase the number of flights from the UAE starting March 31, hereby reducing the high-ticket fares to the sector.
Effective March 31, two more flights were added in the Kannur-Abu Dhabi sector and Kannur-Sharjah flight has become a daily affair. Despite this, airfares to Kannur are still on the higher end.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

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