The Kerala Association of Travel Agents has criticised the alleged fleecing of travellers in the Gulf sector by Air India and other foreign airlines during the festive season by charging exorbitant fares to the extent of 400 per cent of the normal tariff.

They sought the immediate intervention of Civil Aviation and Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the issue. Association president K V Muraleedharan told reporters on Friday that against Rs 5,000-9,000 charged earlier in the Air India Express flights, the current tariff is up to Rs 22,000 per ticket. 

In the case of foreign flights, the tariff shoots up further to Rs 28,000. The fleecing of Gulf Malayalees has reached its crescendo, coinciding with the end of summer vacation and the eve of Onam. In the first week of September, not even a single ticket is available for flights operating from Kerala, he alleged. He urged Vayalar Ravi and other leaders to interfere to start operating additional flights from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode at moderate tariff rates.

Meanwhile, Domestic airlines are looking at Kerala to being new routes to West Asia. In the last three months, Jet Airways and Air India Express have both announced plans to increase their operations between Kerala and West Asia with plans to begin three new services. Low-cost carrier, IndiGo which recently started international operations from Delhi and Mumbai, is also eyeing Kerala as a potential market to connect to the West Asian region.

Air India announced the launch of a four times a week service between Delhi-Damam-Calicut and also extended its daily service on the Kochi-Sharjah route to include Delhi.  Jet Airways is set to start daily flights from Thiruvananthapuram to Sharjah from October 30. The airline already has a daily flight from Kochi to Sharjah and the additional service will add to the number of daily flights between Kerala and the Gulf.