Summary
- IndiGo has announced a non-stop flight between Surat and Dubai, starting Feb 23, increasing its presence within the Middle East.
- Surat, known for its textile and diamond industries, will profit from enhanced connectivity with Dubai for trade opportunities.
- IndiGo now operates 108 direct flights every week to Dubai from 13 cities in India, providing more options for business travelers.
From no Dubai flights to getting two non-stop connections inside months of one another, the West Indian city of Surat now has options to pick from. India’s largest carrier, IndiGo, has joined the fray and can compete with Air India Express, which already operates this route.
One other Surat-Dubai flight
IndiGo has announced non-stop flights between Surat within the state of Gujarat and Dubai, starting February 23. This further consolidates the carrier’s presence within the Middle East, which incorporates all the favored destinations resembling Doha, Damamm, Bahrain, and Ras Al Khaimah, amongst others. From February 22, the carrier can even add more frequencies on the Hyderabad-Dubai route.
Photo: stockphoto mania | Shutterstock
Regarding the newest announcement, Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales, IndiGo, commented,
Schedule
IndiGo’s Surat-Dubai flights are open for booking and can operate as per the next schedule:
Flight no |
Origin |
Destination |
Frequency |
Effective |
Departure |
Arrival |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6E 1992 |
Dubai |
Surat |
Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday |
February 23 |
17:15 |
21:30 |
6E 1991 |
Surat |
Dubai |
Saturday |
February 24 |
00:35 |
02:25 |
6E 1991 |
Surat |
Dubai |
Monday |
February 26 |
01:10 |
03:00 |
6E 1991 |
Surat |
Dubai |
Thursday |
February 29 |
00:10 |
02:00 |
Photo: Ajay k barik Photography | Shutterstock
Competing with Air India Express
Surat is the second-largest city in Gujarat and a big economic hub in India. There has traditionally been a robust demand for a non-stop service between Surat and Dubai, because it has a robust community of diamond traders who wanted easy accessibility to Dubai with a non-stop flight and further connections to the remaining of the world through Dubai International Airport.
Air India Express, which under the Tata Group has been expanding swiftly, was the primary airline to supply flights on this route in December 2023. It also has domestic flights out of Surat, with connections to destinations resembling Delhi and Kolkata.
Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock
With Air India Express, the Tatas wish to create a formidable low-cost carrier within the country that can’t just complement the services of its full-cost carrier, Air India, but in addition present a reputable challenge to IndiGo.
The newest Surat-Dubai route is considered one of several other routes that the 2 carriers compete on, and this rivalry will likely increase in the approaching years as Air India Express develops its fleet further and starts more routes.
Air India Express Wants To Double Its Every day Departures By The Next Financial 12 months
The airline’s current capability deployment is equally split between domestic and International.
The carrier is specializing in operations from mostly tier 2 and three cities in India, leaving the premium routes, resembling Delhi-Mumbai for Air India. It also desires to double its day by day departures by the following financial 12 months, which currently stands at 320.
What are your views on this? Please leave a comment below.