THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan has called upon airline companies to urgently withdraw the fare hike effected to the Gulf countries.
In a statement issued here on Monday, he said the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Director General of Civil Aviation should intervene to address the issue as it will affect large number of Malayalis who will be reaching the state to celebrate Onam and returning to their workplaces in the Gulf countries after the festival.
He pointed out that the ticket fares of Rs 5000 to Rs 6000 has now touched Rs 45,000 and even above. The ordinary workers from Kerala working in the Gulf countries cannot afford the new ticket fare, he said.
The Opposition Leader said that it was Keralites who contribute largely to the foreign exchange reserve of the country.
The airline companies had not hiked the fares from airports outside Kerala to the Gulf countries as it wanted to exploit only Keralites, especially during Onam, he said.
Achuthanandan asked the State Government to take up the issue with the concerned and mount pressure to withdraw the air fare hike.