KOCHI: Kochi figured in the top four priority list of airports of India’s newest airline Akasa Air, which will start two services daily to Bengaluru from August 13 as part of launching its operations. With that, the number of weekly flights to the Karnataka capital from Kochi will go up to 99. IndiGo, AirAsia, GoFirst and Alliance Air are the other airlines operating currently. Akasa is owned by billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjunwala.
“Akasa will operate 28 services in a week in the Bengaluru-Kochi-Bengaluru sector from August 13, offering two flights daily,” a release from Kochi airport said. “Kochi topped the list of Akasa’s first phase of the operation which will see 56 flights catering to Kochi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bangalore,” it said.
Of the two daily services, the first one will arrive from Bengaluru at 8.30am and return at 9.05am. The second flight will reach at 12.30pm and return at 1.10pm the same day.
CIAL managing director S Suhas said he is happy that Koch airport is part of the first phase of Akasa’s operations in India. “We hope Kochi airport can facilitate more services to all major cities in India in the upcoming winter schedule. We have mooted plans for that,” Suhas said. Since the summer schedule came into effect in April, Kochi airport has been handling 1,190 aircraft movements per week.