Air India on Thursday said it is waiving ticket cancellation and other charges for passengers booked on flights to and from Male till February 20, in view of the prevailing situation in Maldives. The island nation plunged into chaos last week when the apex court ordered the release of nine imprisoned opposition politicians, maintaining that their trials were "politically motivated and flawed". Against this backdrop, Air India has said it is waiving charges related to cancellation and date change, among others, till February 20. "In view of prevailing situation in Maldives, applicable penalties of re-issuance, date change, no-show, cancellation and refund charges for travel from/ to Male for both domestic and international flts, stand waived for travel during the period 05th Feb'18 to 20th Feb'18," the airline said in a tweet. Air India operates daily service on Delhi- Thiruvananthapuram-Male route.
It also flies from Bengaluru to Male six days a week except for Tuesdays. Budget carrier SpiceJet also has services to Male. On February 5, India asked its nationals to defer all non-essential travels to Maldives until further notice.