Daily flights between Mangaluru and Bengaluru goes up to seven as AIE introduces two flights on the sector

Air India Express adds new flight to Mangaluru-Bengaluru sector; 107 passengers on maiden run. Traditional water canon salute & cake-cutting ceremony mark launch of new flight, providing seven daily flights between the two cities.

Daily air connectivity between Mangaluru and Bengaluru received a boost with Air India Express commencing its domestic operations on this sector on Wednesday, November 15.

Flight IX 782 with 107 passengers, including two infants, landed here at 12.30 p.m., marking the maiden run of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft (VT-BXD) in this sector. This aircraft incidentally sported the new livery that the low-cost airline unveiled on October 18. Mangaluru now has seven daily flights to Bengaluru, an airport press release stated on Wednesday.

The airport accorded a traditional water canon salute as the aircraft captained by Gaurav Vashist taxied into the apron. A follow-me vehicle also escorted the aircraft from the taxiway to the apron. The airport arranged a welcome ceremony for the first batch of passengers at the domestic arrival hall by cutting a cake to mark the occasion. On the return leg, Flight IX 678 departed for Bengaluru at 1.10 p.m. with 92 passengers, including an infant, and seven crew members, including an observer pilot.

Earlier, the authorities of Mangaluru International Airport, Air India Express, and other stakeholder departments jointly celebrated the launch of this new flight with a cake-cutting ceremony in front of the airline counter in the departure hall. Virendra Mohan Joshi, Chief Airport Security Officer, heads of various departments of the airport, Air India Express, Air India, AISATS, Customs, immigration department heads, CISF, and passengers travelling on this flight, lit the traditional lamp and shared the cake.

The second AIE flight IX 1795 for the day was operated on the Kannur-Bengaluru-Mangaluru sector. Flight IX 1795 departed from Kannur at 4.30 p.m. to reach Bengaluru at 5.50 p.m. This through flight departed from Bengaluru at 6.25 p.m. and reached Mangaluru at 7.35 p.m.

On the return leg, the flight was operated as IX 792 — a through flight to Thiruvananthapuram via Bengaluru. It departed Mangaluru at 8.15 p.m. and reached Bengaluru at 9.30 p.m. It left Bengaluru at 10.20 p.m. to reach the Kerala capital at 11.25 p.m.