Kerala govt wants Centre to shave airfares for Haj pilgrims, expats: CM

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, on 25 March, Tuesday, that the state government would continue to pressurise the union government to regulate the exorbitant ticket charges imposed by airline companies on Haj pilgrims and expatriates coming home for festivals.

Airline companies are charging huge amounts as ticket fare from Haj pilgrims and expatriate Keralites who come to the home state during the festive seasons and on vacation, the chief minister said while replying to a submission in the state assembly.

A letter has already been sent to the Union minister of civil aviation seeking the intervention of the Centre in this regard, he said.

The issue was also discussed during the recent meeting of MPs ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, he said.

The Centre, however, had adopted the stand that airlines are responsible for setting and revising airfares and that the government does not interfere in their commercial and marketing activities, Vijayan added.

By removing restrictions on airfares in 1994, the union government had given all freedom to the airline companies to decide the ticket rates, the chief minister said.