Air India Express Launches Direct Flight from Trivandrum to Riyadh, Benefiting Kerala Expats

Air India Express, India’s first international budget airline, has launched a new direct flight from Kerala’s capital Trivandrum to Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport said on Tuesday that Air India Express has agreed to the long-standing demand of expats from Kerala to fly to Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh from here.

Air India Express started its flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Riyadh on September 9 as an Onam gift to foreigners from the southern state, Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Limited (TIAL) said.

Flight IX 521 departs from Thiruvananthapuram every Monday at 7.55 pm and reaches the Gulf city at 10.40 pm.

The return flight, IX 522, will depart Riyadh at 11.20 pm on the same day and reach the Kerala capital at 7.30 am on Tuesday, TIAL said in a statement.

“Expatriates from Kerala and Tamil Nadu working in Saudi Arabia will benefit from this new service. There is a direct service from Thiruvananthapuram to Dammam in Saudi Arabia,” the press release said.