Air India Express to start flights to Ras al-Khaimah International Airport

Ras al-Khaimah International Airport has announced that Air India Express, India's leading low cost carrier, will start flights to the northern UAE emirate from March this year.

Air India Express will start with four flights per week to Kozhikode (Calicut), starting on March 28, and is looking to expand to a daily service in near future to cater to the growing Indian expatriate community in the Northern Emirates.

The WAM news agency quoted Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of RAK Airport and Department of Civil Aviation, as saying, "I am delighted to welcome Air India Express to Ras al-Khaimah. There was much need for this connectivity, but we also believe that this route may require more than a daily frequency to satisfy the growing demand. We would therefore urge the authorities to consider the needs of the passengers and increase seat allocations for high demand sectors."

He assured Air India Express of full support from RAK Airport.

Ras al-Khaimah International's CEO, Mohammed Qazi, said, "India has strong ties with Ras al-Khaimah for the business and leisure markets, going both ways. We are confident that the route will be a great success, as the market already exists and is growing. We hope to see Air India Express grow its footprint in the Northern Emirates, both in terms of frequencies and routes. As well as passengers originating in Ras al-Khaimah, the Airport is easily accessible from Fujairah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and Sharjah, and with quick passenger processing, efficient aircraft turnaround, no slot restriction and free car parking, we are the ideal location for low cost airlines to operate from."

Ras al-Khaimah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. Its name could be taken to mean "Top of the tent" or alternatively "headland of the small hut". It has become a popular base for Indian business with over 6000 companies availing themselves of the emirate's free zones and other operating formats.