Lok Sabha members from North Kerala have urged Union Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep S. Puri to ask Air India to abandon the practice of dynamic pricing, especially to Gulf destinations.
At a meeting with the Minister, held in Delhi on Thursday, the MPs said that the dynamic pricing (charging higher fares as the gap between the booking date and travel date shrinks) which most airlines companies adopt during vacation or festival seasons, was causing hardships to Gulf NRIs from Malabar.
Blue-collar NRIs in the Gulf were unable to afford the high price of air tickets even when a national carrier like Air India resorted to the practice adopted by private airline companies, Kozhikode MP, M.K. Raghavan, said.
However, the Minister while assuring the MPs that Air India chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani would look into the matter, also maintained that the NRIs should organise their travel plans at least two months in advance.
He also said that Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Khurla had been asked to look into issues concerning the Calicut Airport on introducing new flights both in the domestic and international sectors.
A meeting of representatives of private airline companies would be called soon to work out the possible routes.
Some airlines have been given approval to operate domestic flights under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) at Calicut International Airport. However, many have not launched operations for various reasons.
IndiGo airlines was to operate non-stop flights between Delhi and Calicut. It had obtained the slot to commence opeartions from April 30.
The MPs also urged the Ministry to introduce flights to Southeast Asia from the Calicut International Airport. Airline companies such as Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysia Airlines have been proposed to operate at least one non-stop direct flight to Kuala Lumpur. Flights should be operated to Singapore as well, Mr. Raghavan said.
He said that the State government should cooperate to sustain the development of the Calicut airport which was a public sector enterprise. Several roads leading to the airport needed widening. Similarly, the government was unable to fulfil its promise to acquire land for the expansion of the airport .
At least 137 acres of land was required for runway expansion and construction of new buildings and another 15 acres for parking space at the airport, he said.
Published - August 02, 2019 01:40 am IST
