AI express to restore Kerala routes after Tharoor meet

Days after voicing concerns over the reduction of Air India Express flights connecting Kerala, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday said the airline has assured him that key routes will be restored and services enhanced to address the issues raised.

Tharoor, who represents Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha, stated that Air India Express officials reaffirmed their commitment to improving air connectivity and promoting tourism in Kerala. “As Kerala's largest and fastest-growing airline, Air India Express assured me they remain dedicated to expanding connectivity, promoting tourism, and addressing the issues I had raised earlier through key route restorations and service enhancements,” he wrote in a post on X.

He also shared photographs of his meeting with Air India Express Chairman Nipun Aggarwal, CEO Aloke Singh, and other senior airline executives. “It’s heartening to see this renewed focus on God’s Own Country. I will keep monitoring the situation to ensure that Kerala travellers get the attention and services they deserve,” Tharoor added.

The development follows Tharoor’s sharply worded post on September 29, in which he criticised Air India Express’ proposed curtailment of flights between various Kerala cities and said that Air India “must stop treating Kerala as an afterthought.”

Air India Express and its parent company, Air India, are both owned by the Tata Group. In his earlier post, Tharoor had warned that if Air India continued to disregard Kerala’s connectivity needs, passengers might shift to rival carriers such as IndiGo and Akasa Air.

“I had publicly hailed Air India as my favourite airline. But when facts change, opinions can change too. I hope all concerned will pay due attention,” Tharoor had stated in his September 29 post.