Dubai-based low-cost carrier flydubai will launch its operations to three Indian cities - Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Delhi - starting from next month, said a report.

With this launch, the number of flydubai's Indian destinations has risen to six, said a PTI report, citing the airline's CEO Gaith Al Gaith.

Starting from June 1, the airline will fly four times a week linking Delhi and Dubai, it stated.

For the two cities in the south Indian state of Kerala, it will be thrice a week service for Thiruvananthapuram from June 2 and three times a week flight to Kochi from June 3.

Flydubai's expansion comes at a time when IndiGo has cut back on its Dubai flights because of runway issues at Dubai airport, said the report.

The start of the three new services will see a doubling in the number of cities in India to which the airline flies as it currently operates nine weekly flights to Lucknow, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad from Dubai, it added.

The announcement of the new flights comes in the backdrop of India and Dubai recently signing a bilateral air services agreement which saw an increase in the number of flights that airlines from each country can operate on a weekly basis.

Emirates and flydubai are the two airlines from Dubai which are allowed by the Dubai government to operate flights to and from India while Jet, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Air India operate from India to Dubai.

The increase in flights by flydubai is likely to see enhanced competition between neighbouring Sharjah from where the low cost airline Air Arabia operates over 100 weekly flights to 13 destinations in India.-TradeArabia News Service