Kingfisher launches Dubai-Bangalore service

India's Kingfisher Airlines has annouced it will start flying from the country's IT hub Bangalore to Dubai. from June 25, just two months after it originally planned.

The four-year old airline was due to start services to the UAE in March, but the global economic slowdown delayed the launch of the service.

However, now was a good time to connect the two cities, said Vinay Nambiar, Kingfisher’s area manager for the UAE, Qatar and Oman.

"The conditions have improved now. It is a good time to connect Dubai and Bangalore with the summer travel season starting," he said.

The airline was also planning to launch flights to Abu Dhabi and other destinations in the Gulf region in the near future, Nambiar added, according to UAE daily Gulf News.

The daily service will depart form Bangalore at 6.30pm and land in Dubai at 8.55pm local time.

The return flight will leave Dubai at 11.30pm and reach Bangalore at 4.45am.

"The early morning arrival will enable passengers to reach other destinations within India using our connections," Nambiar said.

The airline acquired Air Deccan in 2007 and has since been expanding.

It has a total of 87 aircraft in its fleet that cover 438 flights daily to 72 destinations in India and abroad, working out of Bangalore.

It has a 27 percent share of the domestic market, according to Nambiar.

Last month Jet Airways launched daily direct services between Chennai and Dubai, ad well as increasing frequency on its Dubai-Mumbai route.

Meanwhile, low-cost Air India Express have recently launched Tiruchirapally and Chennai routes from Abu Dhabi International Airport.

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