Chandy seeks immediate reduction in Middle East airfares

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy sought the immediate intervention of the central government to ensure that airfares to and from Middle East destinations, which have gone up a whopping 600 percent for the July-September period, be reduced. Chandy said airfares from and to the Middle East should not be based on the supply-demand policy. "We are aware of the present scenario as the fares have all gone up dramatically with the holiday season in the Middle East fast approaching. I have written to the centre to seek immediate intervention to reduce the exorbitant fares," Chandy told IANS. The Kerala Association of Travel Agents (KATA) alleges that the biggest gainer on account of the strike by the Air India pilots is the foreign airlines who are making a killing. "The average price of a one-way ticket from any Middle-East country to Kerala which was in the range of Rs.6,000 to Rs 10,000 will be available in the market at the peak season of July to September in the range of Rs.25,000 to Rs.62,000," said KATA president K V Muraleedharan.

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