DELHI- As per reports, Tata Group-owned Air India (AI) is planning a new destination in Europe with direct flights between Kochi (COK) and Dublin (DUB), Ireland.
Air India is already a dominant carrier in the Europe-India market. The Gurugram-based carrier is leading with 114,000 one-way seats in 2024, up 36% from 2019. While Vistara has around 46,000 seats. Post-merger Air India will offer 160,000 one-way seats almost 31 percent of the total market share.
Air India Dublin Flights
According to the Cochin Aviation Channel on Instagram reported that Baby Pereppadan, Mayor of South Dublin, has confirmed that Air India is in discussions to launch a direct flight service connecting Cochin International Airport and Dublin Airport.
With an estimated 118 passengers traveling daily between the two cities, the demand for a direct route is evident, flagsThe Indian Aviation Guy.
Talks have already taken place with Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), and both Indian and Irish authorities are actively engaged in further negotiations.
The plan aims to establish a three-times-weekly (3X weekly) service, enhancing connectivity and convenience for passengers traveling between India and Ireland.
My take
The direct flights between Dublin and Kochi are feasible as Air India already operates direct point-to-point flights between India and Europe.
For Example, Air India operates direct flights from four Indian cities, Amritsar (ATQ), Ahmedabad (AMD), Kochi, and Mopa Goa (GOX) to London Gatwick (LGW) as they have more demands.
Few such other routes contrary to Air India hub and spoke model for long-haul flights.
Air India wants to establish Delhi (DEL), Mumbai (BOM), and Bengaluru (BLR) as their major hub and they already operate the highest number of International flights from Delhi.
But Air India once they have more aircraft will also serve point-to-point traffic. Recently, there have been talks that Air India should launch flights between Hyderabad (HYD) and Dallas (DFW) as this is high high-capacity unserved route.
If want more info, Also read Air India Finally Launching New Flights to Dallas and Los Angeles
At last, to conclude, Air India will significantly focus on becoming a global carrier by serving the routes it never served and having the highest demand.
Let us know your thoughts on Air India International’s expansion plans in the comments on our social media pages.
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