CHENNAI: In a big relief for hundreds of people frequently travelling to and from Madurai and Tiruchy from Chennai, the schedules to these cities have been revised, which has resulted in easing seat shortages and improved travel flexibility.
Till December last year, IndiGo Airlines operated 16 daily services between Chennai and Madurai using an 82-seater ATR aircraft. From December 16, the airline replaced these with larger Airbus aircraft but cut the total number of daily services to just six.
The reduction in frequency caused major inconvenience, especially during peak travel periods like Christmas, New Year, Pongal, and wedding seasons, when tickets became difficult to obtain. On the other hand, some larger aircraft operated with low occupancy on regular days.
Following repeated requests from passengers, IndiGo has now reverted to operating ATR aircraft on the route and restored its earlier frequency.
Currently, eight flights operate from Chennai to Madurai, and eight in the return direction, for a total of 16 daily services.
These departures are spread from early morning to night, offering better time options for travellers.
In addition, Air India operates two daily flights on the Chennai-Madurai-Chennai sector, increasing the total to about 18 flights a day between the two cities.
Similarly, 12 daily ATR services were being operated between Chennai and Tiruchy. From December 16, these were replaced with just four Airbus services, sharply reducing frequency and causing hardship to passengers.
Responding to demand, IndiGo has now introduced an additional ATR service in the afternoon.
With this, the number of daily flights between Chennai and Tiruchy has risen to six.
Morning and evening services are generally operated with larger Airbus aircraft, while the mid-day addition uses an ATR aircraft.
Passengers say the increase in flight numbers has improved seat availability and convenience, and has been especially helpful for business travellers and those making short-notice trips.