Onam gift: AI Express to connect Thiruvananthapuram with Riyadh

The flight, IX 521, will depart Thiruvananthapuram every Monday at 7.55 pm and will reach the Gulf city at 10.40 pm

Thiruvananthapuram: A long-standing demand of expatriates from Kerala to have a flight service to Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh from here has been acceded to by the Air India Express, the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd said on Tuesday.

Air India Express launched its flight service to Riyadh from Thiruvananthapuram on September 9 as an Onam gift to expatriates from the southern state, Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd (TIAL) said. The flight, IX 521, will depart Thiruvananthapuram every Monday at 7.55 pm and will reach the Gulf city at 10.40 pm.

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

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