Dubai-based low-cost airline, flydubai, has refunded the ticket cost to all its passengers, after being forced to defer its plans to launch three routes to India, it has been revealed.
The airline had sought permission for flights to Chandigarh, Coimbatore and Lucknow from mid-July onwards but due to "operational issues" they were postponed.
"We have refunded all passengers who had booked flights to India with us and we sent them all a voucher for a free flight anywhere on our network as a gesture because of the inconvenience," a flydubai spokesperson said in a statement.
The reasons behind the delay remain unclear but, according to a report published by an Indian business daily, authorities were concerned about the impact of the cheap flights offered by flydubai on the Middle East operations of Air India Express.
flydubai declined to comment on when the Indian operations would be up and running. At the time of announcing the delay, the company said India remained an important market and was committed to serving the country. The airline plans to operate between 14 and 16 destinations by the end of 2009.
