Air India to reduce India-Sri Lanka weekly flight services from April 9, here's why

As per Air India officials, the flight services will be reduced from 16 flights per week currently to 13 flights per week from April 9 due to poor demand.

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Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in history. With long lines for fuel, cooking gas, essentials in short supply, and long hours of power cuts, the public has been suffering for weeks. Following this, Air India on April 3 said it will reduce its India-Sri Lanka flight services. 

As per AI officials, the flight services will be reduced from 16 flights per week currently to 13 flights per week from April 9 due to poor demand. "Currently AI is operating 16 flights a week -- daily flights from Delhi and nine flights a week from Chennai," an Air India spokesperson said.

In the new schedule, AI will be operating a total of 13 flights per week, the spokesperson noted. While the frequency from Chennai will remain untouched, flights from Delhi will reduce from seven to four per week, the spokesperson said.

"Four flights from Delhi instead of seven effective April 9 due to poor loads," the spokesperson noted. AI 283 in the Delhi-Colombo sector will now operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays from April 8 to May 30.

AI 284 on the Colombo-Delhi sector will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from April 9 to May 31.

The Sri Lankan government on April 3 blocked social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram after declaring a nationwide public emergency and imposing a 36-hour curfew ahead of a planned anti-government rally over the worst economic crisis in the island nation.

The move is aimed at preventing masses from gathering in Colombo to protest the government's failure to provide relief to the public suffering from shortages of food, essentials, fuel, and medicine amidst hours-long power cuts. 

(With inputs from PTI)