Mattannur: The situation at Kannur International Airport (KIAL) is worsening as Air India Express is yet to resume several key international flights, especially those connecting to Gulf countries. This comes despite earlier commitments made during discussions involving Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Air India Express had assured that the canceled Gulf flights would be reinstated after the state government raised concerns. However, to date, only two flights from Thiruvananthapuram have resumed, and none of the Gulf routes from Kannur have been restored.

With the launch of the new winter flight schedule, Kannur Airport is facing a major reduction in flight services. The airline has stated that the cuts are part of a broader route restructuring plan, hinting that the services might return in the future, though no specific timeline has been provided.

Major reductions in Gulf flights

According to the updated schedule, Kannur is losing as many as 168 international flights every month. This includes the complete cancellation of flights to Kuwait, Bahrain, Dammam, and Jeddah. Flights to other Gulf destinations such as Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Muscat have also been reduced.

For example, services to Abu Dhabi have dropped from 10 flights per week to seven, Dubai flights have decreased from eight to seven weekly, Sharjah flights from 12 to seven, and Muscat flights from seven to four.

Services to Ras Al Khaimah have also fallen from three to two flights weekly. Altogether, this amounts to a loss of 42 international flights a week, which is a significant blow for travellers who rely on Gulf connections.

On the domestic front, Air India Express has increased its Bengaluru service from four flights per week to daily operations. Flights to Thiruvananthapuram have also increased from two to five per week. Meanwhile, IndiGo continues to operate daily flights to Mumbai and Delhi.

Impact on KIAL’s revenue and passenger traffic

These cutbacks come at a time when Kannur Airport was showing steady growth. The airport recorded over 1 lakh passengers in both July and August and earned ₹195 crore in revenue last financial year, a 92 percent increase compared to the previous year. However, with the reduction in flights, the airport is expected to face a decline in various revenue streams, including landing and parking fees, ground handling services, cargo movement, and overall passenger traffic.

This is similar to what happened two years ago, when Go First airline stopped its services from Kannur, causing a major dip in airport operations.

Talks are currently underway to bring new airlines such as Akasa Air and SpiceJet to Kannur, but no agreements have been finalised yet. The situation is further complicated by the Central Government’s delay in granting ‘point of call’ status, which would allow foreign airlines to operate flights from Kannur.