“Substantial hike in air fares in all domestic and international sectors is adversely affecting a large number of our ‘pravasis’ who travel to their home country in the vacation time.”
“Correction is needed because tourists have also started visiting after the decline of incidence of Covid-19 pandemic.”
— Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala Chief Minister
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is under treatment at the Mayo Clinic in US, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to intervene and see that the “exorbitant” airfares in the domestic and international sector are reduced, according to a report from IANS.
“I write this letter to invite your kind attention to the substantial hike in air fares in all domestic and international sectors which is adversely affecting a large number of our ‘pravasis’ who travel to their home country in the vacation time, besides, tourists have also started visiting after the decline of incidence of Covid-19 pandemic,” said Vijayan.
- DOMESTIC: Pre-Covid fares and the present fares show massive hike. From Cochin to Delhi, the fares jumped from INR 4,000 to INR 10,000 and it went up from INR 1,500 to INR 4,800 from Thiruvananthapuram to Cochin
- INTERNATIONAL: Fares shot up more than a staggering 300 per cent from INR 12,000 to INR 40,000 to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and almost four times to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia from INR 15,000 to INR 58,000. To London and New York, it doubled from INR 50,000 to INR 1 lakh and from INR 65,000 to INR 1,30,000, respectively
Vijayan also wrote: “One of the major key sector affected by Covid-19 was the hospitality industry, including travel and tourism. Though this sector has been opened and has started functioning normally the new challenge which can be the reason for a setback to return to normalcy is the exorbitant air fares,” he said.
Vijayan, in his letter, also gave the pre-Covid fares and the present fares which shows a massive hike. From Cochin to Delhi, the fares jumped from INR 4,000 to INR 10,000 and it went up from INR 1,500 to INR 4,800 from Thiruvananthapuram to Cochin.
In the international sector too, fares shot up more than a staggering 300 per cent from INR 12,000 to INR 40,000 to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and almost four times to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia from INR 15,000 to INR 58,000. To London and New York, it doubled from INR 50,000 to INR 1 lakh and from INR 65,000 to INR 1,30,000, respectively.
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