Air India's final flight from Muscat to Delhi marks the end of an era

Muscat: Air India, the carrier that once provided essential services to Indian expatriates, including Malayalis, during the early days of their migration to Oman, has ceased its operations. The airline has discontinued its decades-old Muscat-India route, with the final flight recently departing from the Omani capital to Delhi, India's capital. This marks the end of Air India's long-standing presence in Oman.

Previously, Air India operated flights from Muscat to several Indian cities, including Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi. The Muscat-Hyderabad route was the first to be discontinued, followed by services to Chennai and Bengaluru. Subsequently, the Mumbai route was terminated, and finally, the last flight to Delhi concluded Air India's operations from Muscat.

In the early days, Air India was the sole airline connecting Oman with India. The Mumbai service was particularly significant for Malayalis. Before the introduction of the Thiruvananthapuram service, which was the first to Kerala, expatriates from various parts of Kerala had to travel by train or bus to reach Mumbai and then catch the flight to Muscat.

Air India's office in the country was earlier closed, with both Air India and Air India Express operating from a shared office in Muscat. Now, the office will exclusively serve Air India Express, which is expected to operate on all the routes previously served by Air India.

The cessation of Air India's Thiruvananthapuram service in April 2005 coincided with the launch of budget airline Air India Express, which started services to Kozhikode, Kochi, and Thiruvananthapuram airports. Over time, Air India Express has increased its services from Muscat to various Indian destinations, while Air India gradually reduced its operations to Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bengaluru.