Air India Express, the low-cost arm of Air India, has launched its flight service from Dubai to Mangalore.
Jaishree Ramachandran, Air India's marketing manager for Dubai and the Northern Emirates, said AIE's low-budget flights best suit the destination.
The 1.4 million non-resident Indian community in the UAE, which includes 200,000 Mangaloreans are expected to benefit from the new service, which was launched on Tuesday.
The price of a one-way ticket to Mangalore from Dubai starts at Dh 600, roughly one-third less than the full service fare.
Because of Mangalore's geographical location, the new flight will also benefit people travelling to northern Kerala, Ramachandran said.
Later this year, the low-cost carrier will also commence a new service to Chennai in Tamil Nadu three times a week.
The airline presently serves India with 21 flights a week from Dubai, and flies another 23 times a week to Kerala from Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Muscat and Salalah.
