Airlines in the Air: Islanders on the Ground People demands justified airfares

TMI Bureau

Port Blair, May 16: Airfare for to and fro Port Blair touches sky high, most of the poor islanders counting stars during vacations in islands as the air fare locked them here.

Every year during summer vacations the Islands' populace at large numbers use to attend their mainland viz. Chennai, Kolkata, Vizag, Delhi, etc. and for obvious reasons Ships and Flights tickets are found to be on demand these seasons. Despite the operation of 3 ships and 3 charter flights in Chennai, Kolkata, Vizag sectors the demand cannot be seen sufficient. About 16 flights (including chartered flight) flying for the Veer Savarkar Air Port, Port Blair each day, among them 7 for Chennai, 5 for Kolkata and 4 for other destinations.

The usual airfares are always at sky high during much needed times from Port Blair to Chennai. Whereas the airfare for far Bangkok from Chennai is found much lower than the price of Port Blair to Chennai sector per person. (Calendar fare of May 2018, Port Blair to Chennai and Chennai to Bangkok can be seen in screen shot pic)

Ironically, the areal air distance between Port Blair and Chennai is 1303 km, and from Chennai to Bangkok located beyond Andaman is at 2196 Km distant. But, the airlines flying for Port Blair is seems have pledged to loot the islanders, no matter what. Despite they get subsidized fuel in the islands, islanders never seen any justified airfare during past several years.

A wholesale shop owner in city, who frequently use to go Chennai by air, alleges that, "the flights which are landing here are flying back with full tank subsidized fuel, in return islander gets all time high fares compared to other national and international destinations. Making groups and booking series of seat in flights by some travel agencies might be a reason for high airfares, and the airlines in nexus with the travel agencies doesn't letting the fares down to normal, regardless to, even if it flew with few passengers, as a new proverb of these days and time 'Everything is fair in Love and Business' goes on in our islands."

However, people demand the intervention of concern authorities to justify the fare issues of airlines flying to Port Blair.