Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government on Thursday asked the Centre to approve its plans to operate charter flights to Gulf countries amid rising air fares.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking permission to operate the flight.

The moves was in response to the report, published by Onmanorama on Thursday, citing the tripling of airfares in the past two months on routes frequented by Malayali expatriates.

Due to the festive season, the fares of tickets from the Gulf region to Kerala have increased so much that flying back home during vacation has become unaffordable for many. Expatriates complain that they lose months of savings in ticket prices.

Despite repeated requests from the Kerala government and expatriate organisations, the airlines are not ready to reduce the fares.

"Over the past two months, airline operators have increased airfares to three times the normal price for the tickets. I request that the Centra Government may intervene proactively and initiate negotiations with panies operating in the India-Gulf sector to ensure that they do not add bitant pricing strategy during peak-demand occasions such as festival ol vacations," Pinarayi says in the letter.

"Considering the huge demand for intervention during this festive season, the

Government of Kerala has decided to operate additional/chartered flights at reasonable airfares during the peak/ festival sealons and vacations to the low- income emigrants in Gulf countries. I request you to direct the Civil Aviation Ministry, to accord the necessary approvals expeditiously for additional/charter flight operations booked by Kerala government from the second week of April 2023," the letter adds.