Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Mar 5: The timings of the triweekly Air India Express flight to Kuwait from the city have been changed. The change in the time table of this flight has been causing lot of inconveniences to passengers on this route. Therefore, the fliers using this flight have approached the member of parliament (MP) from here, Nalin Kumar Kateel, seeking his intervention with a demand to change the flight timings, as the modified timings are creating problems for them.

When the flight from the city was introduced first, the flight used to depart from here everyday at 8.45 pm and reach Kuwait at 11.15 pm. On its return journey, the flight used to leave Kuwait at 12.30 am and reach the city at 7.30 am. This timing suited the passengers well. However, about four months back, Air India Express suddenly brought about changes in the schedule of this flight. The flights now leave at 7 am and reach Kuwait at 11.15 am. The return flight leaves Kuwait at 12.15 pm and reach here at 7.15 pm.

As the flight leaves the city early in the morning, passengers coming from Kasargod, Kannur, Kundapur, Batkal and other far off places are facing problems in reaching the airport in time. They are compelled to arrive in the city late night the previous day and wait for the next day's flight. Although the total time of the journey is about four hours, the waiting timing happens to be much more for many passengers. Therefore, on behalf of various Kuwait-based organizations, a memorandum was submitted to Nalin Kumar Kateel. The passengers were hoping that the MP's intervention will have positive impact in changing the timings to suit their need, and the MP also had assured them of the same.

However, within some days of submitting this petition, the timings of this flight was further modified in a way that it now heaps more miseries on the passengers. As per the new time table, with effect from March 25, the flight leaves the city at 6.30 am and reach Kuwait at 10.45 am. It will begin its return journey at 11.45 am and reach here at 6.30 pm. This makes people to spend their entire day in travelling. Therefore, the passengers want the timings to be reverted to the flight timings followed when the flight was first introduced.

As per rules, international passengers have to reach the airport three hours before departure time. This means that the passengers leaving for Kuwait have to be present at the airport at 3.30 am. Passengers from far off areas are particularly affected. Even the reaching time of the return time is highly inconvenient.

One of the frequent passengers, Mohandas Kamath, said that the new time table has been creating problems particularly to women and children apart from people coming from far flung areas, as people have to reach the airport at midnight, when suitable transport facility is not available, to catch the morning flight.

MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel, said that he has been convinced of the problems faced by the passengers and that he would be soon meeting the civil aviation minister and prevail upon him to address the problem.