Chennai: When AirAsia India announced that it would be running its India operations from Chennai last year, the southern aviation industry was ecstatic. One year down the line, the city’s love affair with the carrier seems to be standing at the brink of a chasm. Signs indicate that the low-cost carrier may well shift its base of operations elsewhere.
Despite affirmations of the carrier’s continued belief in Chennai, AirAsia India CEO Mittu Chandilya admitted today that while Chennai remains the home base as of now, the next month may well see the city losing that status. “Chennai will remain our base of operations for now. But I think what happens in the next month will go a long way in determining whether that remains the case,” he stated.
The admission, coming in the wake of the announcement that the first flight of the carrier would fly the Bengaluru to Goa route, seems to reinforce rumours of the carrier’s disillusionment with the Chennai airport and high Air Turbine Fuel prices. Chandiliya went so far as to admit that he was quite “dissatisfied” with the infrastructure at the newly built Chennai airport.
AirAsia India’s rather large facility at the domestic airport terminal has remained largely vacant for the last six months. And highly placed sources within the airport management say that the carrier has been raising complaints about the facilities they have leased for quite some time.
31/05/14 New Indian Express
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Despite affirmations of the carrier’s continued belief in Chennai, AirAsia India CEO Mittu Chandilya admitted today that while Chennai remains the home base as of now, the next month may well see the city losing that status. “Chennai will remain our base of operations for now. But I think what happens in the next month will go a long way in determining whether that remains the case,” he stated.
The admission, coming in the wake of the announcement that the first flight of the carrier would fly the Bengaluru to Goa route, seems to reinforce rumours of the carrier’s disillusionment with the Chennai airport and high Air Turbine Fuel prices. Chandiliya went so far as to admit that he was quite “dissatisfied” with the infrastructure at the newly built Chennai airport.
AirAsia India’s rather large facility at the domestic airport terminal has remained largely vacant for the last six months. And highly placed sources within the airport management say that the carrier has been raising complaints about the facilities they have leased for quite some time.
31/05/14 New Indian Express
