Air India Express, a state-owned low-cost carrier, is set to launch seven new flights to the Gulf countries from the southern Indian cities of Trivandrum, Cochin, Calicut and Mangalore starting from next month.

The airline will be introducing an additional weekly flight each from Trivandrum and Cochin in Kerala to Muscat from October 26 besides two direct flights from Calicut to Doha and three weekly flights on the Mangalore-Bahrain-Kuwait route, reported the Times of India.

The frequency of flights to Muscat from Cochin and Trivandrum will be increased from three flights a week to four in the winter schedule, the report added.

Shyam Sundar, the CEO of Air India Charters, which manages the Indian budget carrier, said the airline will reconnect Mangalore to Kuwait in its winter schedule.

The flights on this sector were discontinued in February due to the grounding of the leased planes, he stated.

According to him, the thrice-weekly flights from Mangalore to Kuwait will operate in a triangular manner covering Bahrain on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The budget carrier will operate two non-stop flights per week from Mangalore to Doha. It also has plans to operate one flight per week on the Mumbai-Doha route.