India regulator calls for more flights, capped fares to flood-hit Kerala
India’s aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has asked airlines to operate additional flights to and from flood-ravaged Kerala and to cap fares.
Heavy monsoon rains have caused widespread flooding which has killed scores of people.
Rising water levels have closed Cochin airport leaving just Thiruvananthapuram and Calicut airports able to handle commercial flights.
"Scheduled domestic airlines have also been advised to ensure that air fares for flights to or from Trivandrum and Calicut airports in Kerala and nearby airports i.e. Mangalore and Coimbatore are kept at optimal level proportionate to sector distance so that travelling public is not inconvenienced," the ministry of civil aviation said in a statement.
It also ordered carriers to charge no more than INR8,000 for short flights and INR10,000 on longer routes.
"A spike in airfare on a few routes have been observed. Concerned airlines have been advised to cap the airfare on these flights,"
"We have advised airlines to be more sensitive to situation arising out of #KeralaFlooding and keep airfares in check. It”s a humanitarian cause," minister of commerce and industry and civil aviation Suresh Prabhu tweeted.
The death toll is well over 300 and an estimated 200,000 have been displaced.
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