The Air India Express Madurai – Singapore flight services have been stopped from March 30 due to deployment of insufficient number of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, said Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president N. Jegatheesan here on Thursday.
In a press release, he said that after persistent efforts, the flight service was launched in September 2017. Shortage of CISF personnel for the third shift had forced the suspension of the flight service. Since Madurai airport had been catering to people from all southern districts, it was high time it was kept open round-the-clock to tap the huge potential on domestic and international routes.
The ATC watch hours were extended with overtime salary of the staff and additional security personnel were posted to facilitate operation of direct flight to Singapore in the late night hours. However, the CISF personnel were not working the extra hour as they were deprived of overtime salary.
Non-inclusion of Madurai airport in the Bi-lateral Airport Treaties with other countries, except Sri Lanka, had been preventing operation of international airliners, especially those from Malaysia, Singapore, Sharjah, Qatar and other Gulf nations, to Madurai. It is pertinent to note that Madurai-Singapore direct flights provide, inter alia, substantial stimulus for industrial and tourism growth in south Tamil Nadu, besides benefiting passengers bound for Singapore and other eastern destinations from southern districts.
The Union Civil Aviation Minister must take immediate steps to resume the Air India Express flight services between Madurai and Singapore as the suspension of the service had also affected passengers travelling to New Delhi as the flight originated from there, he said.
