'Afterthought': Shashi Tharoor Takes On Air India Over Kerala Cancellation Reports

Congress's Shashi Tharoor, irked by Air India's plan to curtail flights to and from Kerala, said it would hamper the state's trade and tourism and invariably lead to passengers switching to other airlines. He, too, could change his mind, he warned, despite the airline being a favourite. Air India, he posted on X, "Must stop treating Kerala as an afterthought". 

Air India Express is the low cost arm of Air India Group that is owned by the Tatas.

In a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter,  tagged to the Tatas, he said Kerala is one of the busiest aviation hubs in the country, with exceptionally high international passenger traffic, particularly to the Gulf region.

"Any curtailment of services at this stage will inevitably cause severe hardship to migrant workers, students, tourists and families, while also hampering trade and tourism," the post read. 

But despite that "Withdrawing business-class services on the longest single-sector flight in India (Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram) has already added insult to injury," added the MP, who represents Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha.

I have written to @airindia MD Campbell Wilson to express my deep concern over reports of large-scale
cancellations of @airindiaexpress services from Kerala's airports in the
forthcoming winter schedule. According to widely-circulated media
accounts, a significant number of...

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 29, 2025

"I have written to @airindia MD Campbell Wilson to express my deep concern over reports of large-scale cancellations of @airindiaexpress services from Kerala's airports in the forthcoming winter schedule. 
According to widely-circulated media accounts, a significant number of flights are being withdrawn from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur between late October and March," he added.

"I had publicly hailed @airindia as my favourite airline. But when facts change, opinions can change too. I hope all concerned will pay due attention. @TataCompanies," the former Union minister said in the post. 

There has been no comment from Air India Group so far. The winter schedule for flights starts from late October and is yet to be announced by civil aviation regulator DGCA.