Vistara monitors flight demands amid India-Maldives row
Vistara currently operates daily flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Male along with other airlines like Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet.
Amid the India-Maldives row, airline Vistara said on Monday it will monitor the demand for flights between the two countries as the "situation is evolving right now".
Vistara currently operates daily flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Male, the capital of the Maldives. The airline's Chief Commercial Officer, Deepak Rajawat, clarified that no cancellations have been made thus far, and they intend to observe the flight demand closely.
Rajawat emphasised the need to monitor the situation, stating its dynamic nature. During a briefing, he addressed queries about the ongoing situation in the Maldives.
"The situation is very evolving right now. We will have to monitor in a week or so," he said at a briefing in response to queries about the Maldives situation.
Other airlines like Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet also have flight services to the Maldives. However, there have been no public statements from these airlines regarding the current scenario.
The disagreement stemmed from remarks made by several Maldivian ministers on social media against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India has expressed strong concerns to the Maldives regarding these comments.
These derogatory remarks faced backlash in India, prompting numerous public figures to advocate for exploring domestic tourist destinations rather than visiting the Maldives.
Social media posts also surfaced, suggesting that some Indian travellers might be reconsidering their planned trips to the Maldives due to the ongoing tensions.
Responding to the situation, the Maldivian government suspended three deputy ministers for their disparaging posts directed at Modi. These ministers criticised Modi for a social media post about 'X' following his visit to Lakshadweep, insinuating that it aimed to position the Union Territory as an alternative tourist spot to the Maldives.
(With PTI inputs)