Malappuram: Here’s good news for non-resident Keralites in Saudi Arabia hailing from the Malabar region. Saudi Arabian Airlines (also known as Saudia) has announced resumption of services with all the seven aircraft which it used earlier in the sector.
Saudia had stopped its schedules to Kozhikode after the director-general of civil aviation (DGCA) denied permission to operate wide-bodied aircraft from the airport since 2015. Now, with the director-general of civil aviation (DGCA) finally giving clearance, the Keralites workers in Saudi, around 11.70 lakh, can look forward to a hassle-free journey. Over the past three years, they had been using other airports to fly to the country.
In addition to those employed in Saudi Arabia, approximately 1.20 lakh people from Malabar travel to that country for Haj-Umrah pilgrimages every year. Private tour operators are also upbeat with the DGCA's approval as it will pave way for more Haj-Umrah pilgrim movement.
The Kozhikode airport will also gain in terms of revenue with more footfall. The airport authorities had said in their report to the DGCA that passenger numbers would cross 15 lakh a year on resumption of the Kozhikode-Jeddah services.
Saudia flights soon
It is learnt that the 'big aircraft' will restart schedules from Kozhikode in two months. Officials of the airline said that Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft belonging to the ‘E’ series and Airbus 330–300 will be deployed. While Boeing 777-200 ER can carry 341 passengers, Airbus 330-300 has a capacity of 298. Both aircraft have sufficient cargo space too.
Saudia authorities had told DGCA that they were prepared to start services after September 15. However, issues like the schedule, arrangements at the airport, ground handling, parking and ticket fares needed to be finalized. The Saudia schedules would be included in the winter schedule, effective October, sources said.
