Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that Kerala had written to the Union civil aviation ministry to grant approval to AirArabia to operate low-cost flights from the state.
“Sharjah authorities agreed to allow Air India Express to operate 18 flights a day from Sharjah International Airport. But in return they sought a similar favour to AirArabia in our state,” Mr Vijayan said in the Assembly on Wednesday.
He was responding to submissions raised by CPM MLAs Raju Abr-aham and Abdul Khader on the exorbitant rates charged by airline companies during the Onam and Eid season. Mr Vijayan said that the aviation ministry, however, did not seem enthusiastic about the idea. In a letter to Union minister for civil aviation Ashok Gajapati Raju earlier, he had urged the minister to approve a request of AirArabia for additional flights during the August 28-September 1 period. An increase of 15,000 seats could reduce airfare from the present Rs 50,000 to Rs 30,000 in the Kerala-West Asia sector, he said.
“The Union secretary told me the Centre will consider our request. However, no action was taken till now,” he said.
Earlier, raising the submission, Raju Abraham said that ticket prices to the Gulf had shot up 10 times from Rs 11,000-Rs 12,000 to over Rs 1 lakh. “Those employed in low-skilled jobs in the Gulf are finding it difficult to return after their vacations,” he said. Abdul Khader reminded the House that Saudi Arabia would begin the third phase of ‘Nitaqat’, a project to gradually replace non-Saudis with natives in jobs, would begin on September 3.
Mr Vijayan responded by saying that Gulf returnees could avail of the NORKA Department Project for Returned Emigrants. Under this scheme, NORKA ROOTS has entered into agreements with five nationalised banks, namely Canara Bank, SBT, SBI, South Indian Bank and Union Bank. Banks will sanction loans to returned non-resident Keralites for starting enterprises in their areas of interest.
