RAK Airways in talks for more Indian routes

RAK Airways is seeking to expand its services to India and initial talks with officials have been "very productive", the carrier's CEO has said.Senior representatives from the fourth national airline of the UAE have met with the key officials in Kerala and Thiruvananthapuram to present a business case for increased flights to destinations in India.CEO Omar Jahameh headed a delegation and said meetings with Kerala's chief minister and other government officials were "very productive".Discussions included the possibility of flying from Ras Al Khaimah to Kochi, Trivandrum and Mangalore, he said in a statement."We have witnessed fast-growing demand for RAK Airways flights from all sectors of the UAE community locally and beyond the borders of Ras Al Khaimah. As a consequence we have quickly grown our route network to six destinations which include Calicut, Jeddah, Cairo, Dhaka, Doha and Chittagong," Jahameh added."Due to the heavy demand, the frequency of flights to Calicut was quickly increased to five flights a week from its initial three," he said."The objective of our meeting with senior Indian officials was to highlight the continued, overwhelming demand for Rak Airways services to additional destinations in India, and to seek their support in approving our request to operate to Kochi and Trivandrum in Kerala along with other strategic Indian destinations."Jahameh said the UAE was home to more than two million Indians of whom almost 25 percent live and work in Ras Al Khaimah.Representatives from various associations, including the Indian Association in Ras Al Khaimah, have called for more connections between Ras Al Khaimah and India especially to the state of Kerala, the airline said.