NEW DELHI: IndiGo has announced the temporary suspension of its international operations to seven destinations -- Langkawi, Krabi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Siem Reap, and Manchester -- citing an expected dip in travel demand in the upcoming financial quarter and rising operational costs faced by the aviation sector.
The suspension will take effect on different dates between July 3 and August 31.
According to a statement issued by the airline, operations to Manchester will stop from August 31, although it did not specify when the service would resume.
Flights to Siem Reap in Cambodia will be suspended from July 3, while services to the other five Asian destinations will be halted from July 1. These routes are scheduled to resume from September 30.
On the suspension of the Manchester route, IndiGo said, “Consequent to this decision, the airline plans to return one of the six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, taken on damp/wet lease, to Norse Atlantic Airways. IndiGo will continue to operate all its remaining long-haul flights as planned.”
The airline attributed the temporary adjustments to a limited segment of its international network to "a traditionally softer demand in the upcoming quarter and an incredibly challenging cost environment".
IndiGo said bookings for all the impacted services would reopen from October 1.
It added that if "the environment becomes favourable, IndiGo stands prepared to reinstate these services earlier than scheduled, in appropriate lead time".
The airline said it has retained the majority of its international operations -- more than 1,800 weekly international flights -- despite the realignment.
“These measured changes are designed to align capacity with current market conditions and demand trends, while ensuring the airline maintains reliability and network integrity across its global destinations. The airline will continue to monitor the situation given the elevated operating costs and continued airspace restrictions,” it said.
The airline had recently announced a 5% to 7% reduction in its domestic operations as well.