On Thursday, India’s largest low-cost passenger airline, IndiGo, made an important announcement. According to this announcement, the airline will suspend flight operations to seven international destinations. The budget carrier is halting its operations temporarily for network optimisation. Which are these destinations? Till when will the services be disrupted? Keep reading to know more about it.
IndiGo Temporarily Suspends Operations To 7 International Destinations
Budget carrier IndiGo is set to temporarily suspend operations to Langkawi, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Manchester, Krabi, Hong Kong, and Siem Reap. The suspension of services to Langkawi, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Krabi, and Hong Kong will be effective from July. While the suspension of services to Siem Reap will be effective from July 3, and to Manchester will be effective from August 31.
The airline, in a statement, also mentioned that the services to all these destinations except Manchester will remain disrupted till September 30. Hence, the bookings for flights to these impacted Asian destinations will start from October 1.
Also Read: IndiGo Hikes Fuel Charges, Airfares Expected To Climb
IndiGo has not specified when its services to Manchester would resume. They also mentioned that the given date of resuming operations is subject to an improved environment. Their statement added that the airline stands prepared to resume operations earlier than scheduled in an appropriate lead time, if the situation improves.
Also Read: IndiGo Starts Ticket Sales, Announces Routes & Schedule For Noida International Airport
Lower Demand & Ongoing Crisis Are The Reasons For The Halt In Services
The airline mentioned that the halt in services to a limited number of its international network is a well-thought-out decision. This decision of temporary adjustments is a result of a traditional lower demand in the upcoming quarter for these specific Asian destinations.
Another reason behind this is the escalating operating costs. The operating costs are increasing because of the high prices of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) because of the geopolitical unrest in West Asia. It also includes currency fluctuations, which have made some of the routes less viable financially.
The ongoing global airspace restrictions and disruptions have limited the fleet availability. It has also forced carriers to reassess their capacity deployment. All this is done in order to protect their profitability.
Also Read: IndiGo To Stop Flights To Manchester From August 31 To Cut Costs
Summing Up
Budget carrier IndiGo, in its recent announcement, has mentioned the disruption of services on seven Asian destinations. This temporary halt will be effective from July 3 on routes to Langkawi, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Krabi, and Hong Kong, and from July 1 to Siem Reap.
