In spite of the improvement in air connectivity with the commissioning of the Kannur International Airport, the cost of air tickets continues to remain high both in both the domestic and international sectors.
A month ago, the steep hike in airfare was attributed to the school vacation and Easter-Vishu season. Now, with the beginning of the Ramzan season, airline companies have steeply increased tariff to other destinations particularly the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Fares are high especially on return tickets. “If the airline ticket to Dubai is ₹8,000 from Kozhikode, the return fare is a staggering ₹28,000 towards the month-end. And this fare is offered by a budget airline,” said C.E. Chakkunny, chairman of Malabar Development Council and chief coordinator of Malabar International Airport Committee.
International flight operators command over ₹19,000 for a trip to Abu Dhabi and the return fare is as high as ₹20,000 in mid-May. The return fares on June 1 and June 2 are over ₹44,000.
Mr. Chakkunny said the tariff hike by airlines based in India and Middle East has hit the travel plans of Non-Resident Indians planning to fly down to celebrate Eid. It has caused anxiety among those who are on vacation and planning to return by June.
Flights diverted
The commissioning of the Kannur airport has affected the Calicut airport as many flights have been diverted. Initially, the flights appeared to be cheap but airline companies hiked the rates from Kannur.
The non-stop Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram flight costs ₹3,500 while to Kochi the fare is ₹2,900. The fare for the one-hour Kozhikode-Thiruvananthapuram flight of Air India Express is over ₹5,000.
Many cite the increase in air fares to the increase in price of aviation turbine fuel from April 1. Another factor is the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max passenger airline. However, such aircraft is not operated from the Calicut airport.