I recently traveled from Mumbai to Chennai and was looking at Air India’s route network from Chennai. I was surprised to see how limited their direct connectivity actually is from this major metro city.
From what I can tell, Air India only operates direct domestic flights from Chennai to Mumbai, Delhi, and Madurai. Internationally, there seems to be just one direct route, which is to Singapore.
Given that Chennai is one of the major cities in India, especially in the south, this feels quite limited for a full service national carrier. I understand that IndiGo has a dominant market share, but I would still expect Air India to have a stronger direct network from such an important hub.
I’m trying to understand the reasons behind this. Is it due to hub-and-spoke strategy decisions, operational constraints, demand patterns, or something else in terms of airline planning?
Would appreciate insights from anyone familiar with Air India’s route planning or aviation in India.
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