Representational imageKondotty: Airfares to the Gulf remain surprisingly grounded even after Ramadan. The period after the holy month, the time when non-resident Malayalis return to work, is the time when airfares to Gulf traditionally skyrocket.
But this post-Ramadan season airfares have remained modest, below the rates to even Hyderabad, a city in terms of air travel that is just a hopping distance from Karipur. If one has to now shell out Rs 5,800 to fly from Karipur to Hyderabad, it costs just Rs 4,500 to fly to Dubai. To Sharjah, it is Rs 5,500, lower than the hop to Hyderabad.
Fall in passengers, and the massive slump in the number of people purchasing air tickets during the post-festival season, are said to be behind this anomalous phenomenon. It is usual for air companies to ruthlessly exploit the mass return of Malayali families after a month-long vacation. Scarcity of tickets during this post-vacation season was a major issue in previous years.
Not this time, when ticket sales have gone down like never before. One reason is that many companies in the Gulf provide their employees return tickets, too, when they go for the vacation. Many others had booked their to and fro tickets months in advance. The drop in demand is so dramatic that many tour operators who had booked advance tickets are left with many unsold tickets.
On the other hand, the demand for domestic fights have soared. Airfares to Mumbai and Hyderabad, for instance, have shot up. The Nipah scare, and the consequent fear of travelling in trains, seem to have contributed to the sudden increase in demand for domestic flights.
