This step had to be taken after the airlines were allegedly charging high fares to Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode airports; which are operational while Cochin airport is shut due to floods.
Though modes of transport to Kerala from cities including Mumbai are in a mess, the fares are now in compliance with directives of government. On Sunday, Union Civil Aviation minister Suresh Prabhu tweeted that his ministry has advised airlines to cap airfares to a maximum of Rs 10,000 for flights to and from Kerala and nearby airports. Though officially the capping came on Wednesday, on Sunday the ministry tweeted compliance of its directives.
This step had to be taken after the airlines were allegedly charging high fares to Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode airports; which are operational while Cochin airport is shut due to floods.
People from Mumbai looking to go to Kerala will now pay anywhere between Rs 14,000-16,000 for their return journey by flight. This is for shorter routes. With respect to flights with longer hours of layover, there were allegedly still higher fares. It was also the reason people took to social media requesting the government to put a cap on fares to Kerala.
On social media, people were seen requesting Civil Aviation ministry to put a cap on the airfares as journeys with multiple stops are sold at a premium. Similarly the fares for other cities like Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Pune etc connecting Kerala; were on a higher side. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had also requested several airlines to keep air-fares for flights to Kerala at optimal level.
The DGCA on Wednesday in a email to private airlines said, "In view of closure of Cochin Airport on account of water rising in the operational area, all the scheduled operations have been shut to/from Cochin Airport. It may please be ensured that air-fares for flights to Kerala are kept at optimal level proportionate to sector distance so that travelling public is not inconvenienced. Air India has already taken decision in this regard. Suitable instructions should be passed on to the revenue and commercial departments in this regards."
Several airlines have waived off cancellation and rescheduling charges for passengers booked to fly and from Kochi. Several airlines have also claimed that extra flights will be operated to Kochi later when the airport reopens to clear the congestion of passengers.
On the other hand, trains from Central Railway to Kerala are cancelled in large numbers. The railways is partially cut off with Kerala due to severe water logging and flooding on tracks. The Indian Railways are forced to cancel several trains, divert and short-terminate few of them as well. "Due to heavy rains, land slips, flash floods and closure of section between Shoranur – Kozhikkode in Palghat Division and Ernakulam – Kottayam – Kayamkulam section in Trivandrum Division, there are changes made in train movement,"said a CR official.
For instance, the Southern Railway has cancelled trains to Kerala due to which the pairing trains originating from Central Railway are getting cancelled. Some of the trains like 12201 LTT-Kochuveli Garibrath Express, 16345 LTT-Thiruvananthapuram Netravati Express and 22113 LTT-Kochuveli Express were cancelled until August 18. Apart from these there are 9-10 trains that are cancelled until normalcy is restored. Many of the trains are operated with speed restrictions or are getting suspended.
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