Machilipatnam (AP), Oct 31 (PTI) Air India Express' direct flight service between Vijayawada and Sharjah in the UAE was inaugurated by MPs Vallabhaneni Balashowry and Kesineni Srinivas at the Vijayawada International Airport on Monday.

As the first flight from Sharjah, with about 60 passengers on board, landed at the airport at around 4:35 pm, it was welcomed with the customary water cannon salute.

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The Boeing 737 aircraft departed for Sharjah at 6:35 pm.

Air India Express will operate the service twice a week -- Monday and Saturday.

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Air India Express is also going to start the Vijayawada-Muscat biweekly service from November 5, Air India authorities said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)