KUWAIT: News reports about Air India's decision to cancel some flights bound to and from India and other Gulf destinations have been confirmed by the regional office in Kuwait. According to A Rambabu, Country Manager Air India, the air carrier will reduce its frequency of flights to and from Kuwait from five times to twice a week. This measure, however, he said is 'temporary.' Air India operates 60 flights a week between the Gulf and India including Kuwait.

Kuwait alone has regular flights between the two countries that operates five times a week. "By October, flights will be trimmed down to twice a week," said Rambabu in an interview with the Kuwait Times yesterday. He explained that the reduced number of flights "will be temporary." "There are talks going on and nothing is final as far as I know," Rambabu added.

Air India had announced the cancellation of flights from Sept 7 to end of October to Sharjah, Dubai, Abudhabi, Muscat and Kuwait citing shortage of cabin crew and tough regulations placed by the DGCA following the Mangalore air crash, The Hindu newspaper reported. But the National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL) announced the cancellation of about 300 flights. Flights that were scheduled for five destinations in the Gulf countries were already restored, the report said. Outbound passengers and travel agents working with Air India did not express concern over the news. According to some regular passengers, Air India's plans to cut down on some flights to and from the Gulf region in October is not 'news.'

They tend to cancel flights; this is nothing new to passengers who use their services," an Indian ticket sales agent told Kuwait Times when queried about the cancellation news. He noted that if there are changes in the schedule, for example, Air India sometimes fails to warn passengers on time. Another Air India regular passenger from the state of Goa noted that given an option, she would be more careful when choosing the airline. Claiming that the airline offers the only regular direct flight to Goa, she is left with fewer options.

Air India commenced its operations in Kuwait back in October 1960. Since then, Kuwait has already been in the Air India's flight radar for the last 45 years. For years, the flagship carrier has been the trusted airlines for many Indians and travelers. With the entry of various budget airline companies and soaring demand, Air India just like other legacy carriers, has been facing several challenges.

A passenger relates some of the challenges to the state-owned status of the airline. To him, privatization of India's one-time pride is the key to recovery, "That is the only way to restore trust and confidence, and win back passengers. If the government continues to keep a deaf ear to all the comments of regular passengers, it is better to cease all operations," a sales agent said. - Kuwait Times