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DOHA: Indian Airlines will not curtail or discontinue its current daily flights between Doha, Cochin and Calicut, after the budget carrier Air India Express commences operations between Kerala and the Qatari capital, Vinod Kumar, Manager, Indian Airlines, said here yesterday.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Vinod said IC operations between Doha and the two Kerala cities was expected to continue as usual. “Initially, there may be some loss of passengers as people might travel on the budget carrier out of curiosity. The demand for seats to these two destinations is quite high and the difference in air fares between IC and AI Express is not as wide," he added.
AI Express is expected to offer seven weekly flights between Doha and various cities in Kerala. When launched, the budget carrier will offer fares that are between 25 and 15 per cent lower than conventional, full-service carriers but with restrictions on free baggage allowance and cancellations.
Several Indian expatriates from Kerala had feared IC would stop offering flights between Doha and destinations in their home state once AI Express commenced operations. They said several Keralites prefer to fly IC due to its flight schedules in both directions. AI Express will also offer two weekly flights to New Delhi and three to Mumbai.
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