Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air has increased its direct services to Trivandrum International Airport following a successful first year of operations.

The carrier will operate a daily service from December 5 between Bahrain and Thiruvananthapuram, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

"Following a successful year since the re-launch of our direct flights to Thiruvananthapuram in December 2013, we are delighted to announce our increased frequency that follows consistently strong passenger demand, with an average of 85 per cent seat factor," Gulf Air acting chief commercial officer Ahmed Janahi said.

"Kerala's capital city will be serviced with daily Gulf Air flights in order to meet travellers' needs, particularly those of the region's 5.6 million-strong Indian community, further reinforcing the strong historic ties between Bahrain and Kerala and our airline's key role in encouraging two-way travel, trade, tourism and investment opportunities," he added.

The increased frequency will lead to enhanced travel connections between Thiruvananthapuram and key markets worldwide, including the GCC and Middle East region where Gulf Air holds a leadership position with double daily flights to more than 10 regional cities.

Accordingly, the kingdom's national carrier is well positioned to link Thiruvananthapuram and other Indian cities to key business and leisure destinations in the region and beyond with excellent connectivity via Bahrain in less than three hours.

Recognising the key importance of the Indian Subcontinent, Gulf Air has strengthened its position in the Indian market through a number of initiatives including, most recently, the announced resumption of flights to Hyderabad, becoming the airline's sixth Indian destination, with five weekly flights, starting from December 15.

Together with the latest daily services to Thiruvananthapuram, Gulf Air operates 10 weekly services to Chennai, double daily flights to New Delhi and Mumbai, and daily to Kochi in addition to the upcoming five weekly flights to Hyderabad.

In total Bahrain's national carrier provides 57 weekly direct and full service flights between India and Bahrain.

The two additional weekly frequencies between Bahrain and Thiruvananthapuram will operate on Mondays and Wednesdays departing Bahrain at 1.30pm to arrive at Trivandrum International Airport at 8.35pm and departing Thiruvananthapuram at 9.20pm, arriving at Bahrain International Airport at 11.45pm. - TradeArabia News Service