Kerala Opposition Leader Urges Central Government to Intervene in Air India Express Flight Reductions

Call for Action on Flight Service Cuts

The leader of the opposition in the Kerala Assembly, VD Satheesan, has called on the central government to take immediate action regarding Air India Express's reported decision to reduce flight services from the state's airports starting in October.

In a letter addressed to the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, K. Ram Mohan Naidu, Satheesan expressed that this move has raised significant concerns among the people of Kerala, particularly within the expatriate community residing in Gulf countries.

He stated, “It is believed that flight services from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, and Kannur to major Gulf nations will either be reduced or completely halted, while additional flights are being operated from Mangalore, Jaipur, and Lucknow.”

Satheesan, a Congress leader, pointed out that although the airline cited economic reasons for this decision, there are doubts surrounding it, as the routes from Kerala to the Gulf are among the most profitable for Air India Express.

He added, “The reduction of these services will create significant hardships for millions of Malayalis working in Gulf countries, who heavily rely on affordable and direct connectivity.”