THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid COVID-19 outbreak, Onam could turn out to be a costlier affair for expatriates who wish to reunite with family in Kerala as fares of evacuation flights have gone through the roof.
Ticket fares of the evacuation flights from the Middle East, which were hovering in the range of Rs 14,000 to Rs 17,000 per person a month ago, now have seen a three-fold increase.
According to the booking status on August 25 on MakeMyTrip, fare to Kochi from Dubai on Thursday on Etihad stood at Rs 47,886, while the Abu Dhabi to Kochi sector quoted a fare of Rs 20,482 on the same day. Ticket price in the Doha-Kochi route stood at Rs 43,710 on Qatar Airways, while the return price was Rs 54,737.
According to the Kochi-based Speedwings Travels, ticket fares of foreign airlines are exorbitantly high. Indian carriers, operating under 'Vande Bharat Mission', too are quoting a fare 50 per cent higher than the normal rates. "Air India Express has been charging the rate fixed by the government since the evacuation started. But in the return journey from Kerala, the airline charges rates under dynamic pricing, where the base fare of tickets will see an increase in tune with the rise in demand," he said.
While flights coming to Kerala are almost always full, only 70 per cent of seats are filled in the return journey. But industry insiders said even the dynamic pricing is not helping airlines in a difficult market.
"Most of those returning are labourers and the business class travel has almost come to a halt affecting the airlines' bottom line," an airline staffer said.
The domestic travel too has seen a marginal rise in rates especially in the Bengaluru-Kochi sector, where tickets are priced at Rs 4000- Rs 5000 as against the average price of Rs 3,000- Rs 3,500.
According to Biji Eapen, IATA Agents Association of India national president, India formed air bubble agreements with US, Germany, and France on July 16 which allow airlines to operate international charter flights on selected routes.
"It was then announced that the deal will create competitions which will bring the ticket prices down. But it seems the Indian airlines are now competing with foreign airlines to increase their fares," he said.
