Mauritius aviation news – Air Mauritius expected to axe up to 8 destinations under cost cutting initative

AIR MAURITIUS TO AXE UP TO 8 ROUTES

Further information received from Port Louis now speaks of a consulting firm, hired by the top management of Air Mauritius, to have recommended the cutting of up to 8 routes not bringing in the revenues expected of them. The same source also suggested that the airline may offload their entire A 340 fleet, as the aircraft were now considered to be too expensive to operate. While the management of the airline apparently insists, that any such changes would not result in staff reductions, experience from a year ago at Air Seychelles suggests otherwise, as even there assurances were given before a massive cost saving programme eventually resulted in redundancies anyway, a parallel two sources in Mauritius quickly jumped on. I have followed what happened at Air Seychelles. If 8 routes go, the staff needed to support those routes will have nothing to do. And if the A 340 are to be sold, the crews are also surplus. I am also not sure what concentrating on the other routes will entail. Because even there cost cutting is inevitable. The airline needs a strong partner to survive, alone it will absolutely not be possible or otherwise we go the same way like Air Seychelles. They were only saved because their President has such close ties with Abu Dhabi, but otherwise, they would have ended up with one aircraft and three or maybe four routes.
As said before here, the writing is on the wall, difficult economic times in aviation makes the need for difficult decisions even greater and whatever happens in Port Louis, you will read it right here, so watch this space.