High air fare between Port Blair mainland sector.

The Non Gazetted Govt. Officers’ Association, Andaman and Nicobar Islands has demanded earmarking of certain number of low fare tickets in each flight  operating between mainland and Port Blair sector exclusively for the people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.    In a letter sent to the Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt. of India, New Delhi today (11.10.2014), Shri D. Ayyappan, General Secretary of the Association also demanded to have some kind of mechanism to check the fare system adopted by airlines operating between mainland and Port Blair sectors to end their exploitation of the passengers from these islands.    

By drawing the attention of the Secretary (Civil Aviation) towards the exploitation perpetrated by private airlines operating between mainland-Port Blair sector towards the people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands including government employees and workers,   Shri D. Ayyappan said that with the start of tourist season from October onwards, the private airlines as well as the Air India Ltd have been overcharging the passengers from Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Having separated by sea from mainland India by 1200 KMs, the people residing in the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands always depend on the air connectivity for reaching mainland and to return to the islands, he told the Secretary (Civil Aviation).    

The Association informed the Secretary (Civil Aviation) that while the entire low fare tickets are booked in advance for the tourists, the remaining tickets are sold by the airlines on exorbitant rates for the islanders who require visiting mainland for various purposes including medical treatment. The Association told the Secretary (CA) that on various occasions, tickets are not available even at such exorbitant fares. Tickets for the Port Blair – Chennai/Kolkatta sectors are sometimes sold at Rs 20,000 or more.  Patients who are referred to mainland hospitals are either forced to wait for some more days or to purchase tickets in these private airlines and Air India Ltd on exorbitant rates in order to save their lives, the Association informed the Secretary (Civil Aviation).

 It has been noticed that in the absence of any fixed maximum rate, the airlines are  charging the passengers at their will and wish, taking advantage of the  emergency situation of the passengers to avail any flight from Port Blair to mainland and  vice versa.  No mechanism is available at present to check the fare being charged by the airlines operating between mainland and Port Blair.  

Shri Ayyappan told the Secretary (Civil Aviation) that requests made by the Non-Gazetted Govt. Officers’ Association and various other organizations in the islands to earmark certain number of low fare tickets in each flight exclusively for the islanders did not evoke any response either from the airlines or from the Govt. of India.