Etihad to discontinue Abu Dhabi flights from Jaipur, route ‘financially unviable’
Three years after it launched direct international flights between Jaipur and Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways has decidedtodiscontinuetheflights between the two destinations from March 2018.
“As part of an ongoing review ofnetworkperformance,Etihad Airways is suspending its Abu Dhabi-Jaipur route effective March 1, 2018. Etihad Airways apologisesforanyinconvenience caused,butassuresthoseaffected by the changes that they will be provided withalternative travel options to and from Jaipur beyond March 1,” an Etihad spokesperson said in reply to an e-mail query.
The airline is planning to pro- vide connecting flights via Delhi or Mumbai after March 1. “The airline will re-protect guests to and from Jaipur on flights via Delhi and Mumbai with code share partner Jet Airways,” the spokesperson said.
The airline started Jaipur operationswithAirbusA320air- craftinatwo-classconfiguration, featuring 16 business class seats and120economyclassseats.The companytookthedecisiontodiscontinue from March 1 as the route had become financially unviable due to poor passenger traffic, sources said.
Atpresent,eightinternational flights operate from Jaipur. These include SpiceJet and Air India’sDubaiflights,OmanAir’s Muscat flight, Etihad’s Abu Dhabi flight, Air Arabia’s Sharjah flight, Air Asia and Thai Smile’s Bangkok flights and Scoot Airlines’ Singapore flight. Meanwhile, domestic flights from Jaipur airport have increasedto53withJetAirways, SpicejetandAirIndialaunching new flights.
Jaipur airport has registered 24% rise in passenger traffic in 2016-17comparedtotheprevious year with flight movements increasing by 28%. The operations at Jaipur airport terminal buildingwillsoonbehandedover to a private player. Seven firms havebidforrunningtheterminal building and other operations at the airport.
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