Qatar flight connections to Kerala

Qatar Airways launched a new flight route to Kozhikode in the popular Indian state of Kerala today.

Travellers will be able to link the direct non-stop scheduled service from Doha to the coastal city in southern India with daily connections from London's Heathrow and Gatwick airport, as well as flights from Manchester.

At the ceremony welcoming the inaugural flight, Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker praised the Indian government for opening up air access in the sub-continent.

The new route takes Qatar Airways' capacity to India up to 58 flights a week spread across nine cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, Cochin and Nagpur.

Formerly known as Calicut, Kozhikode is Kerala's third-largest city and home to beaches, historic sites, lush green scenery and Ayurvedic health treatments.