JEDDAH, 22 May — A large number of Indian workers from the southern state of Kerala were present at the launch of the first nonstop flight from Jeddah to Calicut last night.
The atmosphere was befitting the occasion. A glimpse of Kerala was provided at the Air-India check-in counters at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport here. The area was decorated with banana plants, cutouts of mahout-ridden elephants, wax lamps, balloons and festoons.
The community burst into cheers as Samir S. Maddah, deputy director general of the KAAIA, cut the ribbon to mark the formal launch of Air-India’s second nonstop flight from Jeddah to India in a span of five days. “I wish Air-India well as it has been efficiently operating to and from Jeddah,” Maddah told Arab News after the inauguration. “I hope the airline will further expand its operations,” he added.
Ghassan O. Attar, managing director of Attar Travel which is A-I’s ground handling agent since the airline began its operations here 24 years ago, said: “The starting of this nonstop flight and also the earlier one for Hyderabad launched on May 15, opens a new era for A-I and us. If the community supports these flights, there is scope for their frequency to increase.”
Speaking on behalf of A-I’s general sales agent Kanoo Travel, Kazi Muhammad Ali, regional travel manager for the Western Province, said: “This is an example of what an airline and its GSA could do to meet the community’s demand.”
Veeran Kalppurath of Pulikkal, who works in a grocery shop at Makkah, was the first passenger to check in. “I’m happy to fly A-I now because it’s a nonstop flight,” he remarked. The first family to check in was that of Palakkal Nadira. They were issued boarding passes by Maddah.
The flight arrived from Calicut around 7 p.m. with 179 passengers on board. It was flagged off by E. Ahmad, member of parliament, according to arriving passengers. The inaugural flight from Jeddah was full with 200 passengers. A-I’s Western Province Manager S.M. Mazharullah and Airport Manager S.T. Norbula, presented rose buds to the passengers and the guests.
The flight left Jeddah at 12.45 a.m. today and is scheduled to arrive in Calicut at 9 a.m.
