Customs officials at Trichy Airport seized 1,141 grams of gold worth Rs94.53 lakh from a passenger who arrived from Kuala Lumpur on Air Asia flight AK-023 on Wednesday.
This marks the culmination of a 22-year-long wait since the airport was granted international status. The arrival of this flight is a milestone for the region's tourism sector, which has long been hampered by limited air connectivity.
According to Customs, the gold rods weighing 235 gms were concealed in the bottom wheels screws of three trolly bags carried by the accused who arrived from Kuala Lumpur to Trichy by Air Asia flight on Thursday.
According to a statement by the Bengaluru Customs, the animals were stuffed in baggage and arrived on an Air Asia flight from Bangkok (Flight Number FD 137) which landed at Bengaluru airport at 10:30 pm on Wednesday.
“We sincerely regret the incident. An investigation is being conducted and appropriate action will be taken. The senior leadership team of the airline is in contact with the Governor's Office to address the concerns," Air Asia spokesperson said.
In a letter to the airline employees, the CEO said, "On the sustainability front, our colleagues at Air Asia India will operate the first flight using a blend of Indian-produced Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) between Pune and Delhi today."
The Division bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma disposed of the PIL on Monday after noting the statement of the petitioner Subramanian Swamy.
A Lucknow-bound AIX Connect flight, formerly known as Air Asia, made an emergency landing at Kempegowda International Airport just minutes after its takeoff, following a technical issue on Saturday, an AIX Connect spokesperson said.
There will be 51 weekly departures to Abu Dhabi alone. Whereas Dubai comes second with 45 operations from Kochi. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will operate additional 10 weekly frequencies whereas an average of 5 daily flights to Kuala-Lumpur will be operated by Air Asia Berhad.