Air India Express Starts Direct Flight to Mangalore International Airport From Jeddah Thrice a Week

The long-pending demand from working expats in Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for a direct flight to Mangalore International Airport (MIA) has finally been realised. The weekly flight will start from April 3 and it will be offered by Air India Express. Interestingly, MIA is connecting to a new destination abroad, after a gap of 10 years.

Currently, MIA has direct flights operating only to Dammam in Saudi Arabia, and it operates three flights per week. Earlier, to reach Jeddah, expatriates from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, and nearby districts used to travel to Bengaluru or Mumbai to get direct flights.

The commercial bookings have opened for the flight service. The non-stop flight IX 499 will depart MIA at 2.50pm and reach Jeddah Airport or King Abdulaziz International Airport at 6.25pm. Flight IX498 will depart from Jeddah at 7.25pm, and reach MIA early in the morning at 3.40am.