Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written an important letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In this he has demanded an immediate stop to the huge increase in air fares for Indians returning from Gulf countries. Due to the ongoing tension in West Asia, many flights have been cancelled, taking advantage of which the airlines are charging arbitrary prices. The CM has asked the Central Government to intervene in this matter.
What demands did CM Vijayan make in the letter?
The Chief Minister has clearly stated in his letter sent on March 5, 2026 that the airlines are increasing the fares in a predatory manner. Ticket prices have become many times higher than normal days. He has appealed to the Central Government to:
To control air fares, talks should be held with airline companies and ticket prices should be fixed. A centralized registration system should be created through the Indian Mission or online portal so that accurate counting of people can be done. Sick people, elderly, pregnant women and children should be given first priority in bringing them to India. Information about the flight schedule should be given to the state governments in advance so that they are ready to help at the airport.
What is the current status of flights and passengers?
Due to increasing tension between America, Israel and Iran in West Asia, about 180 flights have been canceled. Due to this, many Indians are stranded at transit hubs like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Kuwait. According to reports, many passengers have neither luggage nor accommodation.
It is a matter of relief that SpiceJet has said to run 14 special flights from UAE to bring back the stranded people. At the same time, IndiGo has announced to give full refund for the canceled flights. The NORKA helpdesk of the Kerala government has received more than 381 calls for help in the last few days.
