Kingfisher to fly from Bangalore to Dubai from next month

Liquor baron Vijay Mallya-led Kingfisher Airlines will start flying daily from India's technology hub Bangalore to Dubai from June 25.

The flight, using an A320 aircraft, will take off from Bangalore at 6.30 pm and land in Dubai at 8.55 pm local time while the return flight will leave Dubai at 11.30pm and reach Bangalore at 4.45 am, the airline's officials told the media during the Arabian Travel Market held recently here.

The launch was planned for March but had to be delayed because of the global economic slowdown, officials said, adding Kingfisher also plans to start flights to Abu Dhabi and a couple of other destinations in the Gulf region.

The airline has expanded its route network significantly since acquiring Air Deccan in 2007. Kingfisher has 87 aircraft in its fleet and has 438 flights daily to 72 destinations in India and abroad. It operates 27 direct flights to Indian destinations from Bangalore.

Indian carriers have added several services between India and the UAE this year. Jet Airways last month launched daily direct services between Chennai and Dubai and also increased frequency on the Dubai-Mumbai route. Air India Express launched Tiruchirapally and Chennai routes from Abu Dhabi International Airport.