Kozhikode: High airfares to the Gulf region has put thousands of stranded expatriates in a spot depriving them of chances to return to their destinations.
Despite several Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations relaxing travel restrictions after fall in COVID 19 cases, airline tickets remain expensive from Kerala. The decision of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to suspend passenger flights till September 30 has been attributed to high tariffs on foreign and private airline companies.
Airfares on international scheduled flights on selected routes have not cooled off even though India has established bilateral air bubbles with selected countries from July 2020.
Most of the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) want to return to their destinations with GCC nations easing coronavirus curbs. Many of them are forced to book tickets at exorbitant prices as their jobs would be at stake.
The air fare on a one-way trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Kerala is still above ₹25,000 for economy class and some airline companies such as Emirates offer only first class or business class fares which are above ₹90,000. A direct flight to Bahrain would cost above ₹30,000.
24/09/21 Biju Govind/The Hindu
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