Air India closes down five European offices amid COVID-19 crisis

Air India on Wednesday announced that it will shut down its five offices across Europe due to zero flight operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline will shut its offices in Vienna (Austria), Milan (Italy), Madrid (Spain), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Stockholm (Sweden).

“In view of the COVID-19 situation, Air India has decided to close down these stations and would immediately initiate action for the closure in consultation with local lawyers and advise the timelines, by which the station will be closed,” an Air India spokesperson said. 

All regularly scheduled flights to these countries have been suspended in the view of COVID-19 pandemic. There are also no Air India flights under Vande Bharat Mission to these countries. 

According to reports, Air India is likely to cease all future flights to these countries as it was not financially viable for the airline to operate on these routes. 

The aviation sector is one of the hardest hit due to the pandemic and is likely to take several years to recover. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), global passenger traffic will not return to pre-COVID levels until 2024.

Already under debt, Air India has also been affected by the suspension of the operation and is facing huge losses.