Minister urged to open up Karipur airport

Thiruvananthapuram: UAE-based Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust has urged Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to open up Karipur airport to international airlines as at Pune, Nagpur and Coimbatore airports, which have fewer international passengers, flights and facilities.
In a petition to Patel, Trust chairman K V Shamsudheen said it was high time the Government ended the monopoly of the national carriers in the Kerala-Gulf sector so that an open competition with international carriers ensured better fares and facilities for passengers.
He points out the Civil Aviation Ministry, which recently permitted private airline Jet Airways to fly to a few Gulf destinations barred it from flying to UAE and Saudi Arabia to insulate Air India Express and Indian from competition in the sector. UAE and Saudi Arabia have the largest Keralite population.
As many as 240 international flights operate from Karipur a week and international passengers average more than half million a year.
06/11/07 John Mary/Peninsula On-line, Qatar

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Categories: Airports Nov 2007, Foreign Nov 2007