
KOCHI: Air India’s planned discontinuation of its direct flight services on the Kochi-London route in March is set to affect a sizeable number of Malayalis in the United Kingdom. They fear the move will force them to dish out higher amounts for travel back home.
“During peak season, the return trip via transit flight for one person would cost around 1,000 British pounds, which would roughly convert to over Rs 1 lakh. So a family of four needs to spend over Rs 4 lakh. People usually book this direct flight well in advance even for school holidays, which would cost them around 500-600 British pounds. Naturally, the travel back home will become more expensive,” Kiran Tom Sajan, who has been living in the UK for the past five years, told TNIE.
Air India currently operates three flights per week to the Gatwick airport in London. The proposed move will end the only direct flight connectivity between Kerala and the UK. Flyers travelling in the sector will now have to rely on alternative options such as transit flight via Dubai, Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru. The Tata-run airlines currently operates flights to London from Ahmedabad, Amritsar, and Goa, besides Kochi.
The shelving of the direct London flight from March 31 will also affect those visiting their native place for short vacations. “To people who rush to meet their dear and near back home, travel time is crucial. While direct flight enables them to reach Kochi in 10 hours, they would require an extra four to five hours on booking transit flights, even from Mumbai or Delhi,” pointed out Kiran, an Ernakulam native who works for Newsquest, a regional newspaper in the UK.
The Union of United Kingdom Malayali Associations (UUKMA) has started an online signature campaign to bring the issue to the notice of the Indian Prime Minister, he added.
Indu Francis, another Malayali who travels in the sector frequently, said a majority of the people, especially elderly citizens, prefer direct flights as it spares them the breaks in journey.
“No doubt, most travellers find direct flights beneficial. But my personal experience has not been that great. While I have travelled multiple times on the direct flight, the airline failed to offer attractive onboard services right from the Covid period when the flight was launched. Also, they have deployed an old aircraft for the direct flight,” Indu said.
But last November, she opted for the airline’s Delhi-sector flight.
“It was a really nice flight, especially the onboard crew services. So, from the very start, they were not keen on making the direct flight to Kochi popular, though the sector enjoyed a fairly good yield,” Indu said.
While Air India will reduce the frequency to three times a week from the current four in the Goa-London sector, it will increase the frequency to four times a week in the Amritsar-London sector.
The Kochi-London flight was launched as a weekly service as part of the Vande Bharat Mission during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the direct flight service was regularised and the frequency increased to three, much to the relief of the Malayali diaspora in the UK.
Flight status
Air India currently operates three flights per week to the Gatwick airport in London
The proposed move will end the only direct flight connectivity between Kerala and the UK
Flyers travelling in the sector will now have to rely on alternative options such as transit flight via Dubai, Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru
Hibi takes issue up with aviation minister
Kochi: Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden has called on Ram Mohan Naidu, the Minister for Civil Aviation, to seek the latter’s intervention for the continued operation of Air India’s Kochi-London (Gatwick) flight. “Air India’s move to discontinue Kochi-London flights is perplexing as the service, a key connectivity link between the two countries, enjoys a high passenger load factor. The service is beneficial for a large number of the diaspora population, business people and tourists. Many Malayali nurses working in the UK use the direct flight to visit their native land. Stopping the service force the passengers to dole out more for transit flights,” he said. “I have demanded the Union minister to issue directions to Air India to continue the service,” Hibi said, adding that the minister has promised to take adequate measures.