Air India Express from Kerala grounded temporarily.
Air India Express from Kerala grounded temporarily.
A major crew shortage has forced Air India Express to cancel a number of its flights from three airports in Kerala to various destinations in the Middle East from next week.
An Air India spokesperson told that the cancellations would begin from next week of September and would be there till the end of October.
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Around 203 (73 from Kozhikode, 74 from Thiruvananthapuram, 73 from Kozhikode and 56 from Kochi) flights stand cancelled. Some of these flights which originate from Mumbai touch Kochi and then fly to Middle-East. Hence this is taken as two flights and hence the number looks so large,' said the official. We will resume our operations, untill a major overhaul process is complete, to ensure a grievance free travel, says in the press release
The major destinations of the cancelled flights include Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Muscat and Kuwait.
'The travel plans of all those who are booked on the cancelled flights will not be affected because we will accommodate them on other airlines and in case they want a refund, that also would be taken care of,' said the official.
Nearly 45,000 passengers stands affected.
E.M. Najeeb, president of the Confederation of Tourism Industry, expressed shock at the manner in which Air India has cancelled flights from the state.
'They should not have booked passengers. Didn't they know of a shortage of cabin crew,' asked Najeeb.
'Now it remains to be seen if this is going to be a gold mine for other airlines operating to the Middle-East. The cancellations have taken place when the tourism season is beginning and there is every likelihood of an increase in airfares during this period,' added Najeeb.
The cancellations will make a major impact as holiday season in Middle East is coming to end by next week of September and heavy rush for passengers returning back to ME starts next week, coupled with Ramadan holidays.
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