Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday criticised Air India Express’ reported plans to scale back services to Kerala, warning that the move would inconvenience passengers and damage the state’s economy.
In a post on X, Tharoor said he had written to Air India MD Campbell Wilson to protest “large-scale cancellations” of Air India Express flights from Kerala’s airports in the upcoming winter schedule, beginning late October. The curtailment is expected to affect services from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur until March.
“Kerala is one of the busiest aviation hubs in the country, with exceptionally high international passenger traffic, particularly to the Gulf region,” Tharoor wrote, adding that the cancellations would cause “severe hardship to migrant workers, students, tourists and families, while also hampering trade and tourism.”
The MP also criticised Air India’s earlier decision to withdraw business-class services on the Delhi–Thiruvananthapuram route, the longest single-sector domestic flight, calling it an “insult to injury”.
Air India Express, the low-cost arm of the Tata-owned Air India Group, operates a significant share of flights to the Gulf from Kerala. The airline recently announced the discontinuation of services from Kozhikode and Kannur to Kuwait in its winter schedule, sparking concern among the Indian diaspora.
Tharoor cautioned that continued neglect of Kerala’s interests could push passengers to rival carriers. “If Air India continues its disregard for Kerala’s interests, IndiGo and Akasa Air are waiting in the wings and many of us will have no compunction about switching our allegiance,” he said, tagging Tata Companies in his post.
The airline group has not issued an immediate response. The winter schedule is yet to be officially notified by aviation regulator DGCA. |
