After winter cuts, Air India Express to raise international flights to Kerala to 231; plans new routes

Thiruvananthapuram: Air India Express officials have assured Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the airline will restore flight services from Kerala that were reduced in its ongoing winter schedule, clarifying that the cuts are only temporary.

At a high-level meeting held in the Chief Minister’s chamber in the Kerala Assembly, top airline officials said that many of the curtailed services would be reinstated soon. The assurance came after the state government strongly objected to the sharp reduction in flights from Kerala airports between October 2025 and March 2026. Vijayan pointed out that Kannur International Airport alone had lost 42 weekly flights, with more cuts from Kozhikode and Kochi.

He said diverting services to privately owned airports amounted to discrimination against Kerala’s public infrastructure. “The decision to cut flights during the peak travel season cannot be justified. Kerala, with over 2.5 million expatriates in the Gulf, depends heavily on air connectivity, and any reduction directly affects thousands of families,” Vijayan said.

He demanded that cancelled services from Kannur, Kozhikode, and Kochi be restored immediately and urged Air India Express, as a national carrier with deep ties to the state, not to sideline Kerala.

The Chief Minister also suggested setting up a consultation system with the state government to prevent unilateral decisions that could inconvenience passengers.

Responding to the concerns, airline officials said the schedule change was due to higher winter demand in northern states and stressed that the adjustments were temporary. They said that by 2026, the number of international flights from Kerala would increase to 231 and domestic services to 245, offsetting the present shortfall.

The airline also plans to launch new routes to Fujairah, Medina, Male, Singapore, London, and Bangkok, and is exploring services to Australia and Japan via Bengaluru or Singapore.

Additional Gulf services are expected during Onam, Christmas, and New Year, and a business-class flight between Thiruvananthapuram and Delhi is under consideration.

The meeting was attended by Air India Express Chairman Nipun Aggarwal, Managing Director Aloke Singh, Vice-President Abhishek Garg, Associate Vice-President P G Prageesh, and Additional Chief Secretary K R Jyothilal.

(With IANS inputs.)