Kerala CM urges Centre to regulate high airline ticket prices for Haj pilgrims

Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister of Kerala, declared on Tuesday that the state government would keep putting pressure on the federal government to control the outrageous ticket prices that airline firms charge Haj pilgrims and foreigners. Before response to a submission before the state Assembly, the chief minister stated that airline firms are charging exorbitant ticket fares to Haj pilgrims and foreign Keralites who visit the home state during festival seasons and on vacation.

The Union Minister of Civil Aviation has already received a letter asking for the Center's help in this matter. According to him, the matter was also covered at the recent meeting of Parliamentary Members that took place prior to the Parliament's monsoon session.

Vijayan said that the Center took the stance that airlines should be in charge of determining and updating their prices and that the government should not meddle in their business and advertising. The CM noted that the union government had granted airline businesses complete control over ticket prices by lifting the prohibition on setting airfares in 1994.