After almost an 11-year hiatus, Go First, formerly known as GoAir, resumed direct air connectivity between Srinagar, India, and Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates.
On October 23, 2021, the Mumbai-based airline Go First launched a direct passenger service between Srinagar and Sharjah. The carrier’s Airbus A320neo jet, registered as VT-WGO, took off for the inaugural flight G81595 from Srinagar Airport (SXR) at 6:58 p.m. (UTC), and successfully landed at Sharjah Airport (SHJ) at 10:30 p.m. (UTC), the flightradar24.com data indicates.
The chief executive officer of the airline Kaushik Khona said that the new route should help India to promote and strengthen trade and tourism links between both countries.
“The UAE and Srinagar are popular as holiday destinations. And Go First flights will meet the demand for convenient travel options. The new services will also support the growing trade and investment links with both Srinagar and Sharjah,” the Khona told local media.
“Having been in operations here for over 15 years, the airline shares a special relationship with the region and is committed to its growth. We are delighted to be the first airline to connect Jammu & Kashmir with the UAE, and it bears testimony to our commitment to the region,” the CEO added.
The ultra-low-cost carrier plans to serve the new route four times per week for a ticket price of around $66.7 (5,000 INR).
The first international passenger service from the SXR airport to Sharjah was started on February 14, 2009, by Air India Express. At the time, the subsidiary of Air India was operating once-weekly flights. However, about a year after launch, the airline dropped the route due to low passenger demand.