Are 15% of Air India flights going to be closed due to ATF crisis? Will IndiGo also cancel flights on a large scale from June? Has US-Iran tension shaken India’s aviation sector? Will passengers now have to face expensive tickets and less seats?
Air India-IndiGo Flight Cuts: The heat of the war raging in the Middle East has now reached the Indian skies. If you are planning to travel by air in the coming days, then this news may blow your senses. India’s two largest airlines – Air India and IndiGo – are going to take a huge and unexpected step for the next three months from June 1. Let us understand this entire crisis and the inside story behind it through suspense-filled pointers.
‘Mega-cut’ in the skies: Why are hundreds of flights going to stop suddenly from June 1?
As soon as the summer holidays are over, a very shocking news has come from the aviation sector of the country. According to a report, Air India and Indigo have decided to reduce their domestic flights extensively from June to the end of August. Big blow to Air India: Tata-owned Air India is going to make a huge cut in its domestic network by about 15%.
Indigo’s Break: India’s largest budget airline IndiGo will also reduce its flights by 5% to 7%. For IndiGo, which flies 1,950 flights daily, even this small cut would mean cancellation of dozens of flights daily.
‘Strait of Hormuz’ crisis: Why are airlines’ budgets burning in the fire of war?
There is no technical glitch behind this sudden decision, but a fierce war going on across the border. The US-Iran war that has been going on since February 28 has broken the spine of the entire world.
- Rooted Block: Due to the war, the ‘Strait of Hormuz’ has been closed, due to which the global crude oil supply has come to a standstill.
- ATF prices explode: Aviation turbine fuel (ATF) typically accounts for 40% of any airline’s operating costs. According to Air India sources, the fuel which was earlier available at Rs 80,000 per kilolitre, has now crossed Rs 1 lakh per kilolitre. Flying at these skyrocketing prices has now become a loss-making deal.
Which cities are on the radar? Is your flight booking stuck?
The matter of relief is that airlines will not close any route completely, but the frequency (number) of flights will be greatly reduced. Mainly routes connected to Delhi and Mumbai hubs will be affected:
- Routes affected from Mumbai: Flights from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Patna and Bhopal.
- Routes affected from Delhi: Flights from Delhi to Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata.
- Tickets missing from website: To save passengers from last-minute hassles, airlines have already removed these affected flights from their booking websites.
The silence after the holidays: Will air tickets become more expensive now?
Along with fuel shortage, airlines are also facing ‘lean season’ (seasonal recession). The number of air passengers anyway declines after the opening of schools and colleges in June. Indigo sources say that in view of the possible reduction in demand, it was a compulsion to take this step. However, due to decrease in the number of flights, a big suspense has arisen whether the competition for seats on the remaining routes will increase? And due to this, will the prices of air tickets go out of the budget of the common man in the coming days? Only time will answer this.