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NAS Air planning Kochi-Riyadh direct services

Nedumbassery: The Saudi Arabia-based low-cost carrier NAS Air, a subsidiary of the Saudi National Air Services, is all set to make its entry into India by launching direct flight services on the Riyadh–Kochi sector. Officials of the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) confirmed that they had been approached by the airline with a proposal to commence the service, but said that the exact date of commencement of the service would be known only after the final round of discussions. The operations were expected to be started in the first quarter of 2010, they said. “As per preliminary discussions, NAS Air is scheduled to operate four direct services a week to here from Riyadh and CIAL has no problems in accommodating them as per the timings proposed by them to carry out the service” said a senior airport official. According to sources, the airline has sought permission for landing here at 5.30 a.m. and returning one hour later. The entry of a no frills carrier on the Kochi- Riyadh sector is perceived as an effort to tap the outflow of migrant population working in the Gulf Cooperation Council and the inflow of tourists seeking low-cost medical treatments apart from providing enhanced connectivity during the Hajj season. Presently, Air India is the market leader on the Kochi- Riyadh sector with four full service flights a week. Saudi Arabian Airlines is second with one service. Its entry will also make the total number of international carriers operating in CIAL to 19. Launched in February 2007 as the first budget domestic airline, NAS Air provides connectivity to 13 domestic destinations in Saudi Arabia and 11 international destinations, including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It announced the decision to expand its operations to destinations within the subcontinent earlier this year and apart from India, it also plans to commence services to Pakistan and Turkey. With the King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh as its hub, the airline boasts a new generation fleet of Airbus 320s and Embraer E 190 aircrafts. It presently operates over 300 flights a week and has registered a growth rate of over 50 % during the first nine months of 2009 alone.

                                                                                                               
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