Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan requested Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to take steps to resolve exorbitant airfares to Kerala for the Onam season for expatriates.
Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday (July 5) wrote to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia requesting his help in addressing the "exorbitant" costs of international flights. He requested the minister's prompt intervention to approve the operation of chartered flights to carry non-resident Keralites from the UAE, citing the difficulty expatriates from Kerala are having travelling.
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"Wrote to @JM_Scindia requesting urgent intervention on the exorbitant airfares to Kerala for the Onam season. As it will badly affect NRKs planning to visit home, requested him to take steps to resolve the issue, even by authorising the operation of chartered flights from UAE," CM Vijayan tweeted.
In the letter, CM Vijayan wrote, " This issue impacts numerous Keralites residing both in India and the Middle East region who are eagerly planning to return home for the upcoming 'Onam' festival. The steep airfare costs have compelled a significant number of Non-Resident Keralites and Kerala expats to either cancel or postpone their travel plans, which could impede their Onam celebrations, which is an important event for every Keralite."
Requesting to authorise charted flights, he said, "The operations will be conducted within the stipulated CAR (Civil Aviation Requirements) of 30 days under ITP (International Travel Permits) provisions. I would be grateful if you can issue the necessary directives to the regulatory authority and the relevant departments to facilitate this arrangement," the letter further stated.
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