Cancellation of schedules: Government decries AI action

The State Government on Wednesday expressed its strong reservations about Air India’s decisions to arbitrarily cancel  services from Kerala leaving hundreds of expatriate Keralites in a serious crisis on their job front.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy summoned the  senior officials of Air India in Thiruvananthapuram to his official residence, Cliff House, and expressed the government’s deep displeasure in the presence of ministers Aryadan Mohammed, P K Kunhalikutty, K C Joseph, V S Sivakumar and Chief Secretary K Jayakumar.

The Chief Minister and the ministers told AI officials that they were expressing their strong resentment on behalf of the people of Kerala towards Air India for doing such injustice to Keralites.

Apparently embarrassed by the strong   resentment expressed by the ministers, Air India officials tried to clarify that it was in view of the heavy traffic during the Hajj season that had to divert some of the aircraft to Uttar Pradesh.

The ministers told them that Air India should have made proper preparations to manage the traffic during the Hajj season.

‘’You should have had all the information required to arrange flights for the pilgrims during the Hajj season. It would be unfair and unprofessional for Air India to raise such lame excuses,’’ the ministers  said.

It was not fair on the part of a PSU like Air India to treat Keralites in such a discriminatory manner, Air India officials were told. The officials were told to convey the government’s protest to the Air India chairman.

A letter was also handed over to them in this regard. All this occurred in front of the mediapersons who were there to attend the cabinet briefing.