After 68 years, Air India Express to stop Chennai-Madurai flights from Oct 25

Air India Express is set to withdraw its flight service between Chennai and Madurai from October 25, according to sources in the airline industry. The move will bring an end to a 68-year association with the route, which was earlier operated by Indian Airlines and subsequently by Air India and its low-cost subsidiary.

The Chennai–Madurai–Chennai sector is one of the oldest domestic air links in south India. Over the decades, it has offered passengers an affordable option for travel between the two cities. Travel operators in Madurai said the flight, with its relatively low airfare, sustained regular fliers and helped keep pressure on ticket prices.

Once the service stops, IndiGo will be the sole airline operating on the route. IndiGo currently runs more than five flights daily between Chennai and Madurai, and travel agents said this would give the airline an effective monopoly on the sector.

Air India has cited poor passenger patronage and operational non-viability as the reasons for discontinuing the service. However, travel agents and tour operators have disputed this. They noted that on Friday alone, 159 passengers arrived in Madurai from Chennai on the Air India Express flight, while about 70 passengers flew in the opposite direction. These numbers, they argued, indicate the service was not without demand.

The flight departed Chennai at 10.15 a.m. and reached Madurai at 11.30 a.m. On the return leg, it left Madurai at noon and arrived in Chennai at 1.10 p.m.

Travel agents also questioned the airline's commercial logic. In a pointed query, they said that if the Chennai–Madurai sector, which has consistent traffic, was not viable, they wondered how Air India could make a Madurai–Bengaluru service commercially viable. Their comments came as the airline has announced expansions in other parts of Tamil Nadu.

The travel industry representatives have appealed to Members of Parliament from the southern districts of Tamil Nadu to take up the matter with the Union Civil Aviation Minister. They emphasised the route's significance for the region's economy and for travellers from cities such as Madurai, Sivakasi and Karaikudi.

Adding to their disappointment, travel agents pointed out that Air India had recently introduced several new services at Tiruchi, connecting it with Hyderabad, Singapore and destinations in the UAE, while Madurai had not received similar attention.

The timing of the closure has also raised concern among tour operators in Madurai. The months between October and March are considered the peak tourism season for the region, with Dasara, Deepavali, Christmas and Pongal drawing visitors from across the country and abroad. Many foreign tourists who had planned to visit south Tamil Nadu during this period may have already booked tickets on this flight or intended to do so. With the service set to end, such travellers could be forced to rely on alternative connections, pay higher fares, or possibly skip Madurai altogether, travel club members said.

Sources confirmed that the decision to stop the flights has been made internally, although the airline has not made a public announcement. Travel agents said they hope Air India will reconsider its decision, noting the public importance of the route and the needs of passengers who have relied on it for decades.