Date:26/09/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/09/26/stories/2005092602120300.htm

Back Malaysia Airlines puts off plans for flights to Kochi

Ashwini Phadnis

New Delhi , Sept. 25

THE national airline of Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines, has pushed back by a few months the launch of its flights to Kochi and Amritsar.

The airline had earlier this year announced its decision to launch a three-times-a-week flight between Kuala Lumpur and Kochi from late this year.

"We are revisiting our business model in India based on our current aviation economic situation and the company will decide on our next move to new destinations at a later stage," the airline's Regional Manager, South Asia, Mr Christopher Yek, said.

The airline that currently operates 30 flights a week to India will, however, not cut back on its the existing flights.

"We will be adding three flights a week to Delhi from October this year.

"This will offer the customer a daily service from not only Chennai and Mumbai but soon from Delhi also," an airline official said.

The airline also offers regular flights to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata.

While officials refused to speculate on why the airline had pushed back the launch of the new flights, market watchers indicated that the decision is linked to a change in the top echelons within the airline.

The airline recently appointed a new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, who is to take over reigns of the airline from December this year.

The move comes even as several other international airlines including British Airways are looking at operating flights to Kerala

. Similarly, a host of airlines including Singapore Airlines and Air India have also started operations from Amritsar.