Mangaluru Airport: Jeddah Bound! New Weekly Flights Begin April 3

Mangaluru: Mangaluru International Airport is poised to include Jeddah as its eighth overseas destination in the upcoming summer schedule. Air India Express has unveiled a weekly flight set to commence every Wednesday from April 3, 2024. The departure, designated as Flight IX 499 from Mangaluru to Jeddah, will take off at 2.50 pm, arriving in Jeddah at 6.25 pm (Jeddah time). On the return journey, Flight IX 498 will depart Jeddah at 7.25 pm (Jeddah time) and land in Mangaluru at 3.40 am on Thursday.

Bookings for this new route are now open, and the airline plans to utilize a Boeing 737-800 aircraft configured with 186 all-economy seats for the flight. Interestingly, Jeddah marks the first international addition to Mangaluru International Airport's roster since its commercial operation began on October 31, 2020. The airport spokesperson stated, "MIA is in constant communication with airline partners to introduce new international routes from Mangaluru."

Currently, Mangaluru is connected internationally to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, and Muscat. Air India Express operates two daily flights to Dubai, while IndiGo offers four flights per week to the same destination. Air India Express also manages flights to Abu Dhabi (4/week), Dammam, and Muscat (3/week); Bahrain and Doha (2/week); and Kuwait (1/week). The spokesperson emphasised that the addition of Jeddah is significant and addresses existing demand.

International flights from Indian airports, including Mangaluru International Airport, operate based on bilateral air service agreements (ASA) with various countries, such as Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The spokesperson clarified that Mangaluru International Airport primarily focuses on Middle Eastern destinations for its international operations, including the soon-to-be-added Jeddah.