Indian airlines are adjusting their domestic flight operations due to a combination of increasing fuel costs, fluctuating travel demand, and regional tensions affecting their expenses. Air India, IndiGo, and Air India Express are among the carriers making these changes, with significant reductions in their flight schedules planned for June.
Air India is set to decrease its domestic flight frequencies by about 22% as part of a temporary network rationalisation. This follows a prior reduction of around 27% in international operations. The airline, currently running approximately 3,600 domestic flights weekly, attributes these cuts to high aviation fuel prices and difficult operational conditions. Passengers impacted by these changes will have the option for alternative flights, date adjustments, or refunds.
Meanwhile, Air India Express is also planning to scale down some of its domestic services, though the reduction will be less than 10% of its current network. Despite this, the airline continues to grow its services on selected domestic and international routes, aligning capacity with demand more efficiently. Air India Express operates over 3,000 weekly flights, including about 500 weekly services linking India and West Asia.
IndiGo is anticipated to reduce its domestic operations by 10% to 13% compared to the previous quarter, according to industry insiders. The airlines are grappling with increased costs due to elevated aviation turbine fuel prices, driven by ongoing tensions in West Asia. Additionally, Indian carriers face longer flight paths and added costs because of the ongoing closure of Pakistani airspace to Indian flights.
As these airlines navigate these challenging times, industry experts suggest that they will continue to monitor fuel prices and passenger demand closely. This cautious approach will determine when and how the carriers might restore their flight frequencies in the future.