Onam-school holiday season: Air fare from Kerala to Gulf countries 4 times higher than normal rate

Thiruvananthapuram: Gulf-bound Malayali expatriates returning after the holiday season in Kerala are facing exorbitant airline ticket prices. As schools in the Arabian Peninsula reopen next month, airlines are charging exorbitant rates, forcing expatriates to pay lakhs of rupees to return.

Compared to major cities like Mumbai, the cost of flying to the Gulf region from Kerala airports is three times higher. Inflated rates are charged at the end of this month and the beginning of September, anticipating the return of expatriates after the Onam festival.

Currently, airfares from Kerala to the Gulf region range from Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 75,000 for one-way tickets. In contrast, return tickets from the Gulf to Kerala can be obtained for as low as Rs. 10,000 these days. 

The Kerala government and MPs had raised concerns. But the union government maintained that airlines can determine ticket prices. The request for chartered flights also fell on deaf ears.

Airline ticket prices from Thiruvananthapuram to Gulf destinations:

Dubai - 47,662 (Air India Express)

Dubai - 72,143 (Emirates)

Abu Dhabi - 74,403 (Air Arabia)

Abu Dhabi - 39,788 (Air India Express)

Sharjah - Riyadh - 78,972 (Air Arabia)

Kozhikode - Doha - 39,375 (Air India Express)

Abu Dhabi - Dammam - 70,426 (Etihad)

Kuwait - 54,100 (Kuwait Airways)