Kongu Global Forum (KGF), an association of industrial, business and trade leaders from Tamil Nadu’s western districts, has urged Air India Express to make a re-entry into Coimbatore, citing potential air traffic data.
In a letter to Air India Express Managing Director Aloke Singh, KGF vice-chairperson Vanitha Mohan said that Coimbatore airport was one of the airports that could break the pre-COVID-19 peak monthly traffic in 2023. However, Coimbatore is the only international airport, from which the airline is yet to resume operations post the pandemic.
With IndiGo, the largest operator at Coimbatore, met with huge aircraft shortage following issues with aircraft engines, the number of daily flights operated from the city reduced since November, 2023, said the letter.
According to KGF, total flights on the Coimbatore - Chennai sector decreased from the daily eight to nine A321s/A320s operated during the summer schedule in 2023 to six A321s/A320s from January, 2024. Three daily A321s/A320s and a weekly A320 operated additionally in the 2023 summer schedule on the Coimbatore - Bengaluru sector is now down to five ATRs from February, 2024. Similarly, the frequency on the Coimbatore - Hyderabad sector is reduced to two daily and one tri-weekly A321s/A320s services from February onwards while four A321s/A320s operated daily in last year’s summer schedule.
When Air India was operating under the Government, the group airlines, namely Air India, Air India Express and Alliance Air were operating flights from Coimbatore to Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Singapore. Air India Express was operating flights to Delhi and Singapore and both were stopped during the pandemic.
Currently, Air India under the Tata Group and Vistara are operating daily flights to Chennai (1), Mumbai (3) and Delhi (1) from Coimbatore.
As per the letter, KGF strongly believes that it is the right time for Air India Express to resume operations from Coimbatore, with flights to Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad initially and later to Singapore, Dubai, Colombo, Doha, Kuala Lumpur and other international destinations.
