IndiGo & Air India Express Commence More Flights Connecting Kochi to Gulf

Kochi is one of the major Gulf gateway airports of South India. On June 1, IndiGo and Air India Express commenced/resumed some more services between Kochi and Middle East. These services further bolster the position of Kochi airport on the Middle Eastern Network.

IndiGo has connected Kochi to Bahrain & Dammam, while Air India Express has commenced services to Kuwait. In this article, let us have a look at these services in a detailed manner.

IndiGo: Kochi to Bahrain

Originally, IndiGo started this service in June 2023. However, as the airline faced capacity degradation because of P&W engine issues, it was forced to suspend the services. Now, it has resumed this service. On June 1, the inaugural flight was operated with Airbus A320neo registered as VT-IJX.

From now on, IndiGo will operate daily flights between Kochi and Bahrain. Airbus A320neo will be deployed on this route.

With this addition, IndiGo becomes the third airline to operate services between Kochi and Bahrain. The flag carrier of Bahrain- Gulf Air and Air India Express are already present on this route with a weekly frequency of seven and six flights respectively. Gulf Air deploys the Airbus A321neo while Air India Express uses the Boeing 737NG on this route.

IndiGo: Kochi to Dammam

Similar to the Bahrain route, this one was also started in June 2023 but was later suspended temporarily. Now, it is back on board. IndiGo operates both Bahrain & Dammam services in a single rotation. On June 1, the same aircraft VT-IJX operated the maiden flight on this route as well.

From now on, the airline will operate daily with its Airbus A320neo fleet. Accompanying the airline on this route is Air India Express, which operates five times a week using the Airbus A320neo fleet, which it inherited from Air India Express.

With this, IndiGo is connecting Kochi to seven cities in the Middle East. These cities are Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat, Doha, Dammam, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Other than Doha, all services are operated daily with A320neos. The Kochi to Doha flight is operated six times a week using the A321neos.

Air India Express: Kochi to Kuwait

Air India Express is the largest airline in terms of the international network from Kochi Airport. The airline is now connecting Kochi to 10 Gulf cities. The latest addition is the Kochi to Kuwait route. On June 2, the airline operated the inaugural flight between both cities using B737 registered as VT-GHB.

From now on, it will be operating thrice weekly on this route with the B737NG fleet.

The LCC subsidiary of Tata Group faces major competition on this route with the presence of three other carriers. Jazeera Airways, Kuwait Airways, and IndiGo are already operating 3X, 9X, and 7X weekly flights on this route.

With this launch, Air India Express is connecting Kochi to 10 Gulf cities: Bahrain (6X), Kuwait (3X), Muscat (7X), Salalah (1X), Doha (7X), Dammam (5X), Riyadh (1X), Abu Dhabi (8X), Dubai (7X), and Sharjah (7X).

Here is a look at the timings of all the new addition/resumption of IndiGo and Air India Express:

Conclusion

Air India Express and IndiGo have enhanced their services between Kochi and Gulf cities. IndiGo has resumed flights to Bahrain and Dammam, while Air India Express has added Kuwait to its Kochi network. IndiGo and Air India Express are now connecting Kochi to seven and ten Gulf cities respectively.

What do you think about Indian carriers enhancing their presence at Kochi Airport? Discuss in the comment section.