THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the issue of substantial hike in air fares in the domestic and international sector which was affecting non-resident Keralites in the vacation period.
Vijayan, in his letter dated May 1, said the tourism sector which has started functioning in Kerala normally after being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is facing challenges due to "exorbitant air fares".
"One of the key sectors affected by COVID-19 was the hospitality industry, including travel and tourism.
Though this sector has been opened and has started functioning normally, the new challenge which can be the reason for a setback to return to normalcy is the exorbitant air fares prevailing in both domestic and international sectors," Vijayan said.
In his letter, Vijayan has also given an illustrative comparison of the air fares before and after COVID-19 pandemic in key domestic and international flight routes from Kerala.
The chart shows that the airfare from Cochin to Delhi was Rs 4,000 in the pre-COVID era which has now become Rs 10,000.
Similarly, the cost of a ticket from Cochin to Dubai has gone up to Rs 40,000 which was Rs 12,000 earlier.
The price of the ticket from Cochin to New York, which was Rs 65,000 earlier has now gone up to Rs 1,30,000.
"I request urgent intervention by your goodself to alleviate the hardship faced by our pravasis and domestic and international tourists by taking necessary initiatives to bring down the exorbitant air fares," Vijayan said.
The Chief Minister said Kerala was very much affected due to the rising air fare as a state with a substantial diaspora in many countries of the world and as an important tourist destination.
Vijayan said tourists have started visiting the state after the decline of incidence of COVID-19 pandemic.