Aviation ministry asks airlines to cap fares on Kerala routes
Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu has advised airlines to cap fares at around ~10,000 and ~8,000 on longer and shorter routes, respectively, for all routes to/from Kerala, and nearby airports.
Prabhu tweeted: “Scheduled domestic airlines also been advised to ensure that airfares for flights to/from Trivandrum and Calicut airports in Kerala and nearby airports i.e. Mangalore and Coimbatore r kept at optimal level proportionate to sector distance.”
The development comes after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that airlines were charging excess amount from passengers travelling from Kerala to Gulf countries. Due to the ongoing heavy rains, the Kochi airport is closed and locals are travelling to neighbouring airports in other states to take flights to Gulf countries.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation convened a meeting with the higher management of domestic airlines on Saturday in this regard, said Prabhu. He added that the DGCA was constantly monitoring airfares on 32 direct routes operating to/from Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Coimbatore and Mangaluru.
Earlier in the day, Vijayan had said he had spoken to Prabhu on airlines charging in excess for Kerala passengers and, in turn, the Union Minister assured him that he would put an end to the practice, in the backdrop of suspension of operations to and from the Kochi airport.
The airport has suspended operations from August 15, as the water released from dams flooded Mullaperiyar and inundated the airport, situated close to the river. With the water shed continuing at around five feet, the authorities announced operations would be suspended till August 26.
Various domestic and foreign airlines shifted their services from Kochi to Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram. Nine foreign carriers operating to Kochi also rescheduled their flights to and from Thiruvananthapuram.
Air India, too, had announced the rescheduling of flights from Kochi on August 18, 19 and 20, to Thiruvananthapuram.
SpiceJet on Friday said it has started additional flights from August 20-24 from Male and Thiruvananthapuram. IndiGo also ensured it would provide waiver of cancellation and rescheduling fees to passengers booked to travel between August 16 and August 26.