A one-way fare of ₹13,000 for flights operated by Air India Express from West Asia, failure to ensure social-distancing norms for flyers, and the slow pace of the Vande Bharat mission have come in for flak.
It appears that the all-time low price of the ATF (aviation turbine fuel) and humanitarian concerns have not been taken into account while fixing the airfare, it has been pointed out. Several Non Resident Keralites (NoRKs), especially those who have lost their jobs and the labour class who have failed to get salary, are postponing their trip.
Demands have come up from the expatriates and others to provide free tickets for the distressed and cash-strapped NoRKs who will also have to undergo compulsory quarantine in a government facility upon reaching Kerala.
The inability of the airline to adhere to the social-distancing norms and laxity in using wide-bodied aircraft have come in for criticism as two lakh NoRKS have expressed their desire to return. Since AIE flights can carry only 177 passengers, only 2,478 can be ferried on 14 flights earmarked for the State. It will take more than a year to fetch all those who desire to come back if the present aircraft type and frequency are followed.
The offer of the UAE and Kuwait to fly in stranded NRIs free of cost and the roping in of West Asia-based airlines that have wide-bodied aircraft would have quickened the repatriation process, it has been pointed out. The four airports can handle five to 10 flights a day and this would have facilitated the shifting of one lakh NoRKs in at least two weeks.
Airline sources said it is not possible to enforce the social-distancing norms in the seating arrangements. “Controlled atmosphere prevails in the interior of the aircraft and it does not matter where the flyer sits as the air is being recycled.”
The sources said the airfares have been fixed by the Civil Aviation Ministry and it is ‘moderate’ as the B 737-800 aircraft is going empty to collect the NoRKs. For all the AIE repatriation flights to Kerala, the fare has been pegged at ₹13,000.
“The repatriation process should be expedited as seats will not be available on the flights in June and July once the vacation commences in the Gulf countries,” president and general secretary of the Kerala Association of Travel Agents K.V. Muralidharan and Channankara M.P. Kunju said.