KOCHI: Airlines have again increased the fares from the four international airports in Kerala to GCC countries to cash in on the demand for seats from Keralites returning to their workplaces after Ramdhan.
The latest hike, second in two months, comes close on the heels of a 200-400% hike in the airfares during the summer vacation for educational institutions in Kerala.
One-way fares from the Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin, Kozhikode and Kannur international airports to various destinations Gulf have suddenly gone up from the existing ₹6,000-₹12,000 range (OMR 66).
Read More
A one-way economy class ticket from the four airports to key destinations in Gulf in budget and regular flights of both Indian and foreign carriers on June 9 (after Ramdhan) costs somewhere between ₹14,000 (OMR 78) and ₹48,500 (OMR 268).
An economy class ticket in Gulf Air from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai on June 9 is available for ₹14,000, whereas the fare from Kannur to Dubai in Indigo is ₹25,700 (OMR 153).
The economy class fare from Thiruvananthapuram to Jeddah in Gulf Air on June 9 is ₹20,100 (OMR 112). One has to pay ₹48,500 (OMR 268) for flying from Kannur to Jeddah in the national carrier Air India.
The Airlines are also cashing in on the demand for seats by those who had returned with families for the reopening of educational institutions on June 6 in Kerala and planning to fly back.
The inability of the Indian Union government and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to regulate the fares during festive seasons and summer vacation has also come as a blessing for the operating airlines, industry analysts say.
