Air India to restore most flights from September after months of disruption
New Delhi: Air India will begin restoring most of the domestic and international capacity it cut since April from September, as geopolitical tensions ease, jet
New Delhi: Air India will begin restoring most of the domestic and international capacity it cut since April from September, as geopolitical tensions ease, jet fuel prices stabilise and more aircraft return to service. The move marks the airline's first major capacity restoration after months of schedule cuts triggered by airspace closures over Pakistan and West Asia, aircraft shortages, and longer flying times to Europe and North America. "September onwards most of the flights are already on sale. They were never withdrawn," Air India's chief commercial officer, Nipun Aggarwal, said on Friday, on the sidelines of an event organised by the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH). Data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) showed that the Tata-backed Air India's international departures fell 22% year-on-year during April and May, while domestic departures declined about 5%. This does not include low-cost subsidiary Air India Express’s numbers. Also Read | Consumer moves NCLAT over CCI's dismissal of airline cancellation fee case Aggarwal said geopolitical uncertainty remains the airline's biggest operational risk. "Pakistan (airspace closure) is the biggest issue. We have no visibility on that. We're trying to rebalance wherever we can,” he said, adding that reopening Iran and Iraq airspace would provide significant relief for the carrier’s westbound operations.
The closure of Pakistani airspace, followed by the conflict in West Asia, forced Air India to operate longer routes to Europe and North America, increasing fuel consumption and reducing aircraft utilization. Higher aviation turbine fuel prices, which nearly doubled between late February and May, added to the pressure. Fuel prices, however, have eased in recent weeks. According to the International Air Transport Association's (IATA's) weekly fuel monitor, average jet fuel prices fell to $127.06 a barrel in the week ended 10 July from $138.86 a barrel four weeks earlier. "It will not be as bad as it was in March and April. Hopefully it doesn't get to that level," Aggarwal said. Europe is expected to see the biggest restoration, with most of the frequency cuts announced in May likely to be reversed. The airline had earlier reduced services on routes including Delhi-Paris, Delhi-Copenhagen, Delhi-Milan, Delhi-Vienna, Delhi-Zurich and Delhi-Rome. DGCA data showed Air India operated about 2,300 fewer international departures during April and May compared with the corresponding period last year. "Wherever we have taken frequency cuts, mostly everything will be back. There may be one or two routes here and there. But by and large, everything will be restored," Aggarwal said.
The BriefWire