Air Mauritius Cuts Delhi Flights to Just 1 Weekly

In a bid to curtail its financial losses, Air Mauritius has announced a significant reduction in its flight frequency to Delhi, India. The airline, which operates the route using an A330 aircraft, has opted to revise its flight schedule in light of the line’s unprofitability. Commencing on 1st July, only the Wednesday evening flight, scheduled to depart at 22:00 local time and arrive in Delhi at 06:16 local time, will remain operational. The Saturday flight has been suspended indefinitely.

Just weeks ago, Air Mauritius was contemplating the drastic measure of completely removing Delhi from its flight plan.

However, the airline ultimately decided against this course of action, opting instead to retain a single weekly flight.

Joël Toussaint, the communications manager for Air Mauritius, remarked, “Closure was indeed considered, as Delhi is among the routes that are not profitable for the company.

Rather than shutting down entirely, we have chosen to maintain one weekly flight while increasing the ticket price.”

This fare hike amounts to approximately 6,000 Indian Rupees, translating to an additional 3,600 Mauritian Rupees per ticket.

Remarkably, this decision does not appear to have deterred Indian customers, as Air Mauritius reports sustained demand.

A reassessment of flight frequency may occur in October, contingent upon load factors and market conditions.

This strategic rationalisation unfolds against a backdrop of fierce competition in the aviation market between Mauritius and India.

Since the merger of Vistara with Air India last November, the Indian network has become denser and more consolidated, diverting a portion of the traffic that previously favoured Air Mauritius. Notably, Vistara commenced operations to Mauritius in March 2025 from Mumbai, offering five flights per week.

Additionally, the low-cost Indian carrier IndiGo continues to capture a significant share of the market with its competitive pricing, having launched four weekly flights to Mauritius from Bengaluru since 19th November.

The direct route to Delhi, reintroduced by Air Mauritius in May 2023 after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic and the airline’s financial struggles, was intended to complement its existing weekly services to Mumbai and Chennai.

However, Delhi has proven to be unprofitable, with insufficient load factors preventing Air Mauritius from generating a profit.

Defi Media sources close to matter indicated that maintaining two weekly flights was inadequate to cover operational costs.

The clientele on this route primarily consists of Mauritian pilgrims travelling to Northern and North-Eastern India, as well as travellers seeking medical assessments or general consultations in Delhi.

Conversely, those requiring medical assistance typically prefer to head to Chennai.

By retaining a single weekly flight with a load factor exceeding 80%, Air Mauritius aims to achieve greater profitability on this route while maintaining a strategic presence in the Indian capital.

The airline’s management continues to closely monitor developments in the Indian market to flexibly adjust its offerings.

This revision is part of a broader strategy to consolidate the network in the post-Covid landscape, as the airline seeks to regain sustainable financial stability after being placed under voluntary administration in 2020 and emerging from it in 2021.

Source: Defi Media