Now fly to Sharjah for Rs 2999

Close on the heels of the national carrier Air-India announcing the start of the operations of its low-fare subsidiary Air India Express to the Middle East, Air Arabia the low-cost airline from the UAE, today launched its service to India for as low as Rs 2999. Air India Express offers tickets on the Delhi-Abu Dhabi sector for Rs 2,750.

As per the plans of the carrier, the cost of a ticket from Sharjah to Mumbai starts from Rs 2, 999 "" excluding government taxes and surcharges.

Customers booking early can take advantage of these fares as Air Arabia's fare structure is based on supply and demand and fares increase as more seats are booked on a particular flight, the airline said in a statement today.

Starting March 26, 2005 Air Arabia will operate daily services from UAE to India. Air Arabia flight G9-401, as per schedule, will depart from Sharjah International Airport at 1640 hrs and arrive at Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai at 21:00 local time.

Maintaining a low turnaround time of 45 minutes in Mumbai, Air Arabia G9-402 will depart at 2145 hrs and arrive back in Sharjah at 2325 hrs local time.

Adel Ali, chief executive, Air Arabia said, "By connecting India to our existing routes, we can now offer Indian nationals in the region the opportunity to travel more often at lower fares to India for business or leisure. We look forward to enabling Gulf residents and tourists that have not been able to afford air travel in the past to start travelling and those who do travel to do so more frequently."