Air India’s winter schedule goes for a toss

Mumbai: National carrier Air India (AI) will get for Rs1,200 crore from the government in November. Till then the airline’s winter schedule is likely to suffer due to shortage of pilots and expiry of lease on aircraft.
From October 31, the winter schedule of airlines comes into force but AI will be one month behind the schedule. Plagued by mis-management, merger gone wrong, the airline is postponing the launch of certain flights. “All non-stop flights from Delhi to Chicago and Toronto and from Mumbai to Newark have been put on hold,” said a source from AI.
Since 2007 AI operated on international sectors, AIE was to operate as a low-cost airline to international destinations in the middle-east and Indian on domestic routes and neighbouring countries (Shanghai, Kathmandu, Kabul).
As AIE does not have pilots leading to closure of a number of routes, AI will operate flights to the Gulf from Cochin, Calicut and Thiruvananthapuram.
With the expiry of the lease on six Airbus 320s, AI is also set to operate domestic flights from Delhi.
23/10/10 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

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Categories: NACIL Oct 2010