Air India Express is planning to expand its services to the Middle East by launching daily flights between Surat, India to Sharjah, UAE. Currently, the airline offers thrice-weekly flight services from Surat International Airport to Sharjah International Airport. One of the major reasons behind this expansion is the popularity of Sharjah as an international destination with the Surat crowds and it acts as a gateway to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Sharjah is ideal due to the high demand for bilateral trade in businesses like textiles and horticulture. Besides, the Diamond traders in Surat will benefit from the upgraded flight frequency as most of them have their offices in Dubai.
For its winter schedule, Air India Express has added seven new sectors, including twice-weekly flight services between Vijayawada and Sharjah and four-weekly flights between Kannur and Dubai.
Air India Express will operate one weekly flight on the Kannur-Jeddah route, Kochi-Riyadh, and Kochi-Dammam route. The airline is also planning thrice weekly flights connecting Dammam to Trivandrum and twice weekly services on the Trivandrum-Bahrain route.