IndiGo started a direct service to Ras Al Khaimah from Mumbai yesterday. This is the 26th global destination and the airline’s 100th total destination. The flight was announced last month and is part of IndiGo’s growing presence in the Middle East.
Indigo begins its journey to Ras Al Khaimah
On September 22, IndiGo flew its A320 to Ras Al Khaimah from Mumbai. It is not only the airline’s 100th destination, but also the 11th in the Middle East.
To mark the occasion, the aircraft was greeted with a ceremonial salute with water cannons as it traveled to the station. Among the passengers of the inaugural flight was Peter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, who commented:
“We are pleased to start the first direct contact between Mumbai and Ras Al Khaimah. For IndiGo, this is the 100th destination in the 6E network and the fourth of our Emirate… In the vast and diverse India, IndiGo already serves 74 unparalleled cities and communities across the country. This new route, which was warmly welcomed by our customers and authorities, enhances connectivity in the region as envisioned in the IndiGo strategy.”
Atanasios Tetonis, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, said:
“IndiGo is the right air partner in our portfolio as we are on our way to relocate to the destination airport. This partnership will boost our business and open a new channel to serve tourism in Ras Al Khaimah as an emirate.”
a program
IndiGo will play this track with a daily frequency. Flight 6E 1371 will take off from BOM at 2305 hours and reach its destination the next day at 0035 hours. On the return trip, flight 6E 1372 RKT will depart at 0135 and arrive BOM at 0550. All times are in local time zones.
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A quick IndiGo survey quotes a BOM-RKT fare just under 10,000 rupees ($123) and a RKT-BOM fare around 6,600 ($82).
Ras al-Khaimah does not have many options without stopping from India. Flightradar24 roadmap shows that Calicut International Airport (CCJ) in Kerala is the only Indian airport with direct connection to RKT. Air India Express serves this flight twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Expansion in the Middle East
The latest trip is part of IndiGo’s larger expansion plan in the Middle East. Earlier this month, the airline announced a new route between Hyderabad and Riyadh from October 30 and more flights on the Hyderabad-Doha and Dubai-Mangalore routes from October 30 and October 31, respectively.
IndiGo has a large presence in the Middle East. Photo: Airbus
Between October 30 and March 25, IndiGo will have flights from 15 Indian airports to 11 airports across the Middle East. Besides the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia is also heavily characterized by its airline network, with approximately one in five flights operating in the Gulf.
Have you made an IndiGo flight between India and the Middle East? Like what was your experience? Please leave a comment below.