CH NEWS, MANGALURU
The fact that this flight route, which is relied upon by lakhs of migrants and tourists every year, has not resumed due to unavoidable reasons has caused great disappointment among the public.
On February 28, due to the war in the Middle East and geopolitical tensions, air routes in several Gulf countries were disrupted. However, over time, the intensity of the conflict decreased and flights to most countries globally resumed successfully. Unfortunately, only the Mangalore-Kuwait flight service has not started yet.
Before this crisis, Air India Express operated regular direct flights between Mangaluru and Kuwait, three days a week.
Passengers from the coastal region, who are struggling without direct flights, are currently forced to first go around cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai or Kozhikode (Calicut) to reach Kuwait and then continue their journey. These connecting flights not only take a long time, but also put a significant dent in the pockets of the common man.
More than 40,000 Kannadigas from the coastal strip, from Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada to Kasaragod in the south, are employed and engaged in business in Kuwait. The lack of direct flights from Mangalore has caused severe hardship to the families of these NRIs.
Apart from Kuwait, direct flight services from Mangaluru International Airport to other major Gulf cities including Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Dubai, Doha, Jeddah and Muscat are continuing smoothly as usual. The coastal people are requesting that Kuwaiti flights also resume as soon as possible and the hardships of passengers are permanently relieved.
