KOCHI: Visa-on-arrival facility and bilateral agreements between India and GCC countries are likely to reduce tariff in the region, said Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President, Flydubai Airlines, a UAE government-owned company.
Speaking to media here on Wednesday, he said that the recently held IPL matches in Dubai had attracted a sizable number of people to the region and if the visa-on-arrival facility is in place there will be a rush to India for medical treatment from the West Asian region. He also said that the airlines is aiming to tap more markets in India.
“Tourism, investment and trade between India and the UAE are important economic drivers. The demand for tickets has never been low between Kerala and the GCC region. When the aviation sector opens up in its true sense it will only benefit the passenger,” Sudhir said.
He pointed out that the cargo movement is another big sector which is growing and has tremendous opportunities.
“Flydubai’s cargo volumes continue to increase carrying a wide range of goods. The airline regularly carries pharmaceuticals, mobile phones, perishables and garments from all destinations in India,” he said.
Meanwhile, Flydubai has started operations to Delhi, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. It will have four weekly flights to Delhi and three weekly flights to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram to West Asian countries. With this the total number of Indian cities served by the carrier will be six, including existing routes of Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Lucknow.
The airline will charge Rs 17,000 for Kochi-Dubai service and 7-kg luggage could be carried. Extra charge has to paid for food, entertainment and luggage beyond the permissible limit. The airline has a network of 74 destinations across the globe.