The Mangalore International Airport (MIA) is set to expand its domestic connectivity by inaugurating a non-stop flight route to Tiruchirappalli International Airport in Tamil Nadu. This once-a-week service will commence operations on Wednesday (departing from Tiruchirappalli) and Thursday (departing from Mangalore), starting April 3. The flight will be operated by Air India Express.
This new flight route is anticipated to facilitate travel for pilgrims visiting the Vailankani shrine. According to sources within Air India Express, the decision to establish a non-stop link between the two southern cities was driven by the scheduling of a flight to Jeddah, which is slated to commence on April 3 and originates from Tiruchirappalli International Airport.
Explaining the rationale behind the decision, a source stated, “It is a ferry or positional flight from TIA to MIA. Instead of flying empty, the management has decided to run it as a commercial flight. This will help both passengers and the airline.” The airline will utilize Boeing 737-800 aircraft configured with 186 all-economy seats for this route. Following its arrival in Mangalore, the same flight will proceed to Jeddah.
Flight IX 1498 will depart from MIA to TIA every Thursday at 5:00 AM, while the return flight, IX 1499, will depart from TIA at 12:50 PM. The flight duration is approximately one hour. Additionally, these flights will also operate non-stop between Jeddah and MIA. Flight IX 499 will depart MIA at 2:50 PM and arrive at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah at 6:25 PM. Conversely, flight IX 498 will depart from Jeddah at 7:25 PM and arrive at MIA early at 3:40 AM.
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