Bahrain Air suspends operations to city

Bahrain Air, the low fare premium privately owned national carrier of Bahrain that commenced direct flight operations from Bahrain to Thiruvananthapuram on March 16, has cancelled the flights over a row over traffic rights to the State capital.

Hundreds of passengers who had booked tickets in the airline from Thiruvananthapuram to Bahrain and for onward connections to other GCC points and destinations to the Levant and Africa have been affected by the suspension of flights.

Airport sources said the airline had to suspend the operations to Thiruvananthapuram since Thursday after the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had not given the mandatory nod for the continuation of the flights from Bahrain to Thiruvananthapuram airport for the summer schedule that commenced on March 25.

The flights of the airline to Karipur, Nedumbaserry and Mumbai, the three other destinations, are operating as per schedule, airport sources said. Bahrain Air launched its flights to Thiruvananthapuram as part of a bilateral agreement between the two countries and after a two-year wait.

A top Airport official said the reason for denial of rights in the summer schedule is not known and added that the airline can operate only with the DGCA nod.

Following the suspension of the flights, 100 of the 140 passengers who were stranded were flown in through Mumbai to the State capital. The airline managed to lease an aircraft of Jet Airways to operate a flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Bahrain on Friday. The flight left from here at 10 p.m. with 140 passengers.

The airline has decided to operate another flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Bahrain using the aircraft of Jet Airways on Saturday also. The flight will depart from here at 5 p.m.

Airport sources said the airline had also suspended the booking even as talks were on with Civil Aviation Ministry to resolve the issue soon.

Richard Nutall, Chief Executive Officer, Bahrain Air, had announced in the city that the four flights a week being operated on the Thiruvananthapuram-Bahrain sector would be increased to seven flights a week this summer. The Kerala Travel Agents Association has alleged a conspiracy over the denial of traffic rights to Bahrain Air without prior notice.

The association had pointed out that the airline was a relief to the NRKs when other airlines, including Air India, had increased the fare by 30 to 40 per cent to Gulf sector in view of the summer vacation.

SOURCE