Plea to exempt Gulf sector from summer airfare hike

New Delhi: Concerned over the steep hike in airfares, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi has asked Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to spare the Gulf sector from the hikes as most travellers from the region are semi-skilled and unskilled workers.
Ravi met Patel on Thursday and asked him to call a meeting of airlines to discuss the issue.
He also pointed out that the 30 per cent rise in summer airfares on the Gulf-India sector affected low-income workers in the region who travelled to India to visit their families.
"This may be distinguished from the pleasure trips undertaken by tourists in the European sector," Ravi wrote in a letter to Patel.
During his visit to the Gulf countries last month, one of the major issues brought up by Gulf Indians was the exorbitant rise in airfares of different airlines, Ravi said.
24/06/06 Gulf News, UAE

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