Special flights to bring Maha tourists back from Srinagar, govt to bear cost

Pune: Minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Wednesday said IndiGo and Air India would operate two flights from Srinagar to Mumbai on Thursday, carrying 182 tourists free of charge. He also advised airlines to reduce airfares for flights departing from Srinagar.
Many tourists are forced to stay put in Srinagar owing to soaring airfares, following the Tuesday's Pahalgam terror attack.
"The two flights will arrive in Mumbai from Srinagar with 182 tourists. State govt will bear the cost of their airfares," Mohol said, adding, "While we haven't put any cap on the airfares, the airlines have been told to keep the ticket prices under check to provide relief to the stranded tourists."
Of these 182 flyers, 83 will take the IndiGo flight, while 99 will fly by Air India. "Both the flights are scheduled to depart Srinagar around 3pm and arrive in Mumbai around 6.10pm," a source in the ministry said.
"The airlines have already waived cancellation and rescheduling charges for passengers flying out of Kashmir. The airlines are expected to bring the airfares under control soon," Mohol said.
Pune resident Jyoti Zurunge, who is stranded in Srinagar, said that airfares for Srinagar-Pune flights stood at Rs15,000 to Rs 20,000 per person.
"High airfares were holding people back in Srinagar. We are in touch with the authorities and local MPs. Govt should intervene to make airfares affordable. We are all shaken after the attack," Zurunge said.
As of Wednesday, one-way airfare from Srinagar to Pune stood between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 per person, while it was Rs 11,000-Rs 15,000 on Srinagar-Mumbai route, Rs 10,000-Rs 16,000 to Kolkata, Rs 14,000 to Rs 18,000 to Patna and Rs 11,000- Rs25,000 to Ahmedabad.
Amish Patadiya of Ahmedabad, who was in Srinagar with five others, said, "They could not afford to rebook as airfares surged dramatically after the terror attack. We have a booking on SpiceJet, but neither the portal that we used to book the ticket nor the airline is providing us with proper information about rescheduling."
The Directorate General for Civil Aviation on Wednesday issued an advisory asking airlines to increase the number of flights from Srinagar.
"Airlines are advised to take swift action to increase the number of flights in response to heightened demand and also to ensure uninterrupted connectivity from Srinagar to various destinations across India, facilitating the evacuation of stranded tourists," the advisory stated.
Sanjay Nahar, who runs an NGO named ‘Sarhad' and whose team is helping tourists in Kashmir, said, "Our team members are coordinating with the tourists to help them out in all ways possible," he said.
(With inputs from
Sarang Dastane)