Mumbai: Air India Express on Friday announced Surat-Dubai flights from December 17 becoming the first carrier to link the two diamond trading hubs for the first time.

On the same day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the ₹3500 crore Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) in Khajodi on the outskirts of Surat city.

The Air India Express moves comes in the wake of persistent demand by the Surat diamond traders to link Surat with Dubai to boost trade in diamond. Surat manufactures 92% of world’s rough diamonds and the diamond trading community set up India’s second diamond bourse in the city to make it a global trading hub.

HT reported that in September, a delegation from SDB led by Gujarat BJP state president CR Patil had met Modi to obtain his dates for the bourse inauguration. The delegation had also met civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who assured them that direct flights on Surat-Dubai will be started soon.

Air India Express is the only carrier presently operating two flights a week from the Surat international airport to Sharjah. It will now operate four flights on Surat-Dubai sector from Sunday with inaugural fare starting at ₹11,111, the airline said.

The flights will depart Surat at 11. 30 am and reach Dubai at 1.30 pm. The return flight will depart Dubai at 2.30 pm and reach Surat by 7pm.

Also Read: Airlines to increase fleet by 25% in a year as passenger number rises

Talking about this milestone, Aloke Singh, managing director, Air India Express, said, “Air India Express has a strong connection with Surat, having pioneered direct international flights to Sharjah, marking a milestone for the city. As Surat unveils its new international terminal, we are delighted to be a part of this growth story by introducing new flights. Our Surat to Dubai flight underscores our commitment to enhancing connectivity from emerging cities which are the powerhouses of new India.”

Air India Express offers 80 direct flights connecting Dubai with 11 destinations, including Amritsar, Goa, Indore, Jaipur, Kannur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mangalore, Tiruchirappalli, and Thiruvananthapuram. With 26 weekly direct flights, the airline also connects Surat with Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata, and Sharjah.

Reacting to the development, Dineshbhai Navadia, SDB spokesperson said, “We are very happy that Surat will be connected to Dubai. We have been demanding this for last three years. We are also talking to airlines to initiate Surat-Mumbai flights and have proposed that if airlines fall short of the minimum threshold of passenger capacity, the bourse will pay for the viability gap.”

The SDB proposal says if an airline requires a minimum 70 seats to be booked on a 100-seater aircraft and only 50 seats are booked, they will pay for the remaining 20 seats to make the flight viable.