TRICHY: Air India Express' flights to the Gulf countries from Trichy are likely to be fewer in winter, and Abu Dhabi, a sought-after destination, is most likely be taken off the route map in October.
At present, the carrier operates two services a week: Chennai-Trichy-Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi-Trichy-Chennai on Thursdays and Saturdays. Though the revised proposal is yet to get the nod from the office of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), it is most likely to be implemented from the third week of October, said an official with Air India Express, who refused to be identified.
In November last, the Air India Express had announced the cancellation of nine flights (to Kuala Lumpur and Chennai) between November 7 and November 13 due to what it called "crew constraints and inevitable reasons". This time, the Air India Express has attributed the cancellation to "operational difficulties", the source said. Prior to the Air India pilots strike, the carrier was operating daily flights to Dubai, and three services every week to Abu Dhabi.
"This is shocking news for travel agents and air travelers who have benefited from these services," says V Subbu, chairman, IAAI (IATA Agents Association of India), Trichy regional committee. Subbu has since written to Air India authorities pleading against cancelling flights out of Trichy. According to him, passengers who work in the oil fields in West Asia fly this sector frequently, and it was considered a potential sector for Air India Express for elite passengers from across Tamil Nadu. Moreover, the cancellation of the Abu Dhabi sector would mean that Trichy will lose a connection to Chennai, a much-needed route for medical tourism and the leisure industry.
In May this year, the automation system of Air Traffic Services (ATS) was inaugurated at the Trichy airport for handling a greater volume of aircraft movement. "We cannot afford to lose Abu Dhabi," said an Air India Express official without wanting to be quoted. However, the solace is that the thrice-a-week flight to Dubai would be restored to a daily service in the winter schedule, he clarified.
The neglect of Trichy is complete now that the national carrier had already ceded Kuala Lumpur and Colombo sectors to Air Asia and Sri Lankan airlines respectively, added Subbu. The airline does not fly to Colombo and Kuala Lumpur due to "increasing fuel costs and non-availability of aircraft". "It is true we lost out to Air Asia in the Kuala Lumpur sector, and we do not want to operate to Colombo directly from Trichy," the Air India official told TOI.
Trichy airport, which until the pilots strike last year handled 34 services daily, reduced services to 24 services in December. Now, the services have shrunk to 20 a day, said terminal manager Kumaraswamy.
Though close to international destinations like Colombo and Kuala Lumpur, Air India Express does not fly to these places from Trichy. The only international destinations for Trichy are at present Singapore and Dubai. Out of these two, Air India Express might soon cede Singapore to Tiger Airways, said the source.
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