Sharjah-Trichy flights to resume; exporters relieved too

Trichy: Two months after the Iran-Israel conflict impacted flight operations between Trichy and Gulf countries, Air India Express is set to resume services between Trichy and Sharjah from Saturday. The frequency of Trichy-Dubai services has also increased from Friday. Trichy airport sources said that the resumed services will continue till May 31 and will be extended based on the emerging situation.The additional and resumed flights are expected to benefit NRIs in the Middle East to return home for summer vacation. As the disruption of services curtailed international passenger footfall at Trichy airport by up to 37% in March, airport sources said the resumption of seven services a week to the Gulf will increase passenger footfall at the airport. Air India Express has opened bookings for Trichy-Dubai flight services on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Trichy-Sharjah flights will be operated on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Besides passengers, exporters who were hit by the lack of connectivity between Trichy and airports in the UAE said normalcy returning in flight operations would help them tap the demand for vegetables and flowers, especially in Dubai and Sharjah, post the Iran-Israel conflict. "Around 5 tonnes space in each flight can be utilised for export cargo operations, so we expect more international services to resume from Trichy," S S Raju, Trichy airport director, said.