Kingfisher’s flights to Mysore grounded

Kingfisher Airlines has withdrawn 31 flights for the next 12 days, including the one between Mysore and Bangalore, which was launched only a few months ago.

A company official in Mysore said the move was due to temporary shortage of pilots and cabin crew.

Sources in the aviation sector in Mysore said that the company was hit by increased rate of attrition, which has led it to utilise the available workforce on profitable routes.

The Mysore-Bangalore route has not been profitable despite promises by software companies that they would book at least 50 seats every week and government assurance to channel tourist inflow through the airlines.

Travel agencies said that bookings had not been encouraging as the travel time between Mysore and Bangalore is 20 minutes, but travel time from Bangalore International Airport to the city is more than an hour.

Moreover, the travel time between Mysore and Mandakalli airport is also 45 minutes, making the total travel time between the two cities two hours and 30 minutes.

Travellers opt for KSRTC air-conditioned services between the two cities. They pay a fraction of the airfare with almost same travel time as that of the airlines.

During the 15 days of Dasara festivities, air travellers, especially, those from international destinations, did use the services extensively. Kingfisher was also eyeing the charter flight traffic to Mysore. It could not tap the segment as charter flight operators in Russia, Scandinavian countries, Europe have end-to-end solutions for travellers to Mysore, who visited the city for Dasara and yoga tourism.

Sources said the airlines was talking to its consortium of bankers to reduce interest rates on borrowings after it reported a net loss of rs263.5 crore in the second quarter of the current fiscal.