Air Kerala to ease Gulf-India traffic

Over one million Indian expats living in Saudi Arabia will be able to fly “Air Kerala,” a new budget airline to serve Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the south Indian state of Kerala.
The ambitious plan of India's provincial government of Kerala to launch its own airline emerged when most of the carriers operating on GCC-India routes raised their ticket costs sky-high this summer.
"Once launched, the proposed airline will ease the problems faced by south Indian workers," said Mohammed Qaiser, sales and marketing manager of Naba, an IATA travel agency. Qaiser was commenting on media reports in which parliamentarian E. T. Mohammed Bashir promised to look into the problem of air travel between Kerala and the GCC states.
“During peak seasons, Indian workers have to pay huge amounts for tickets and this has forced the government of Kerala to start its own airline," Bashir said in a report published by Oman Times yesterday.
Nearly 10 airlines including Saudi Arabian Airlines, Air India and Jet Airways operating the Saudi-India route raised airfares way beyond the reach of lower-income Indian workers. Some airlines charged as much as SR 3,500 for a return trip. "Sixty percent of our customers fall under the SR 700 to SR 1,000 salary bracket," said Qaiser.
In a recent release, Saudi Airlines announced they would impose tighter baggage restrictions on the Saudi-India route from Sept. 1, allowing only one piece of luggage weighing up to 32 kg.
"This is not in the interest of Indian workers who return home once every two or three years," said Qaiser. He called on Saudi Arabian Airlines to revoke the new restrictions for thousands of Indian passengers who fly Saudia.
"The launch of Air Kerala will force all airlines currently operating on this route to be more flexible in their ticketing and baggage provisions," said travel agent Hanif Sheikh.
He said the proposed airline was registered in India four years ago. The company will follow the public-private partnership model of the Cochin International Airport in south India. Cochin was the first airport constructed with private participation.