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Restoration of Kuwait-Mangalore direct flights: UAKK delegation meets CM

Bangalore, July 1, 2014: A delegation from United Associations of Karnataka Kuwait (UAKK), an umbrella organization of 12 associations, and prominent Social Workers from coastal Karnataka visited the chief minister of Karnataka Siddaramiah on June 26 in Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore and requested his intervention in aviation ministry of India with regard to the restoration of direct flights to Kuwait – Mangalore sector.
 
The delegation said that more than 1,30,000 Kuwait-bound passengers from Mangalore, coastal Karnataka and Northern parts of Kerala are put to untold hardships and their flying time has now been extended from 4 to 12 hours since Air India Express wrapped up their flight services to Kuwait - Mangalore sector from February 15 this year. The plight of the aged and families with small kids has become miserable as they have to transit through Mumbai or Bangalore.

Most of the disappointed passengers feel that there was a systematic plan executed by vested interests to cancel the Kuwait-Mangalore flight services and finally they succeeded in victimizing Mangalore passengers by cancelling the flights from February 2014 and all representation to restore the flights fell on deaf ears, the delegation said.

UAKK delegation submitted a memorandum to the chief minister through the help of minister for health and family welfare U T Khadar and requested him to garner support from the aviation ministry of India to restore the flights.

On behalf of thousands of Karnataka and northern Kerala NRIs in Kuwait, UAKK earnestly requested the aviation ministry of India to restore the direct flights to Kuwait – Mangalore sector on top priority basis as currently Kuwait is the only Gulf country which does not have direct flights to Mangalore. Considering the difficulties faced by our passengers, the memorandum has also been sent to The Ambassador of India in Kuwait requesting the aviation ministry to reinstate standard airlines to operate direct flight services to Kuwait / Mangalore sector. It has also been mentioned in the memorandum that the aviation ministry and the airlines concerned may also look into the possibility of introducing flight services to Kuwait / Mangalore / Bangalore sector.

UAKK is also planning to meet railway minister Sadananda Gowda and Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel.

The delegation included UAKK chief coordinator Hasan Yusuf, KKMA Karnataka unit coordinator S M Farooq and coastal Karnataka social worker U M Mohammed.