THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: UnionCivil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu assured Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan air carriers will indeed be prevented from charging ransom fare from Gulfbound travellers from the state.
Prabhu said the airlines have been directed not to overcharge and stick to the fares which prevailed before the Nedumbassery Cochin International Airport Ltd(CIAL) suspended operations. Airlines have also been asked to cap the Thiruvananthapuram- New Delhi fare at `10,000. The fares to other cities will be reduced proportionately.
Private airlines were accused of jacking up fares in the wake of the shuttering of the Nedumbassery Airport and the ensuing rush from the Thiruvananthapuram and Calicut Airports. Pinarayi had told Prabhu the air carriers were overcharging the Gulf-bound travellers from Kerala who boarded their flights from the Bengaluru Airport.