Air India is in a cost cutting mode. It has closed 23 booking offices

The ailing national carrier of India has started its cost cut schemes. In a news report by The Economic Times, Air India is pruning the number of its foreign and local offices and has already shut down 23 booking offices in different parts of the country.

The decision to close booking offices has been taken with a view to control costs and reduce expenditure, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Within the country, the national carrier has closed down 23 booking offices, including those in Darjeeling, Surat, Allahabad, Agra, Kanpur, Leh, Mysore, Udaipur, Trichur, Amristar and Dehradun.

Booking offices have been closed as most of the sales are done by agents and the number of walk-in passenger at these places are "negligible". Besides, passengers can make bookings through Air India's website, Sharma said.

At present, there are 54 local booking offices of the carrier that are functional, the ET has confirmed.

In another written reply, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said the carrier has closed, decided to close or downsize some of its overseas booking offices.

"So as to maximise revenue and promote code share flights, there is now only a small sales or representative set up at the airport at Zurich and the sales representative office at Vienna is operating from a small office space in a business centre," he told the ET.

(Image: Reuters)