Air India Express launches international operations from Surat

Feb 18, 2019: Gujarat’s Surat has made it to the international aviation map with the first Air India Express flight making its maiden visit to the city carrying 75 passengers from Sharjah.

The Air India Express flight IX 172 from Sharjah touched down at the Surat airport at 11.30 pm on Feb 16 with 75 passengers on board the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the airline said in a statement.

The passengers were received by the airline's chief executive officer K Shyam Sundar and other dignitaries, it said.

With this, Surat has become the 20th destination in the country for the international budget arm of the flag carrier Air India, the airline said.

The return flight IX 171 carrying 180 passengers for Sharjah departed from the Surat International Airport past midnight at 12.47 am on Sunday, it said. Air India Express will fly four times a week on the new route.