India’s Civil Aviation Minister, Mr. Praful Patel, hosted Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, and a senior delegation from the airline, to an…
India’s Civil Aviation Minister, Mr. Praful Patel, hosted Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, and a senior delegation from the airline, to an informal lunch meeting in Delhi.
Also present the meeting were other high-ranking officials from the Indian government including: Mr. Sarad Pawar, Minister for Agriculture, Food & Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution; Mr. Murali Deora, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Mr. V. Thulasidas, Air India’s Chairman and Managing Director.
The group discussed various developments taking place in the aviation industry at the meeting.
Sheikh Ahmed and Emirates’ top management who are in India to celebrate the launch of Emirates’ new direct, non-stop service to Thiruvananthapuram, also thanked the Indian government for granting the airline additional traffic rights to operate to the country.
In Thiruvananthapuram, Emirates officially launched its new air service to Kerala’s capital city with a media conference attended by over 100 reporters, and later that evening hosted over 250 trade and industry partners to a gala dinner celebration.
Thiruvananthapuram is Emirates’ sixth Indian gateway, the others being Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Cochin. Emirates has also strengthened its presence in South India with significant increases to two major Indian cities – Cochin and Chennai, effective 1st February.
The Dubai-based airline enhanced its services to Cochin from five to seven flights a week; and added four more flights to Chennai to serve the city eight times a week.
Sheikh Ahmed said: “I would like to thank the Indian Government and the Ministry of Civil Aviation for their support. Emirates is delighted to increase its services to India – one of the airline’s most important markets worldwide.”
He added: “Emirates and India enjoy very strong relations right from 1985 when the airline launched its global operations with Mumbai and Delhi as its first online destinations. I am confident that our relationship with India will strengthen with time.”
Emirates’ new service to Thiruvananthapuram will reinforce connections from the state of Kerala to the Middle East region via the airline’s hub in Dubai. The airline’s operations in the Middle East include 140 flights per week to 13 destinations.
This is expected to benefit Kerala’s key industries, including Leisure and Medical Tourism, and Information Technology (IT) that will now have access to new markets and greater opportunities. The Dubai-based airline will also facilitate travel for Kerala’s burgeoning Non-resident Indian
(NRI) community, a majority of which reside in the Middle East and travel home each year.
Sheikh Ahmed added: “Emirates will promote Thiruvananthapuram through its vast network of offices in the Middle East and help bring more leisure and business travellers to Kerala’s chief tourist and business attraction. We also look forward to serving the city’s travellers with Emirates’ award-winning, superior product and service and providing them with more travel options to the Middle East.”
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
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