Kerala floods: Air fares to Trivandrum in Rs 6,700-11,000 range

Moneycontrol News 

Friday's fares from New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru to Thiruvananthapuram cost between Rs 6,700 and Rs 11,000, according to prices quoted on various travel sites. The average fare on this route is in the Rs 4,000-6,000 range.

Operations at the Kochi airport have been suspended till Saturday due to floods that hit Kerala last week. Airports at Thiruvananthapuram and Calicut are operational.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the death toll due to the floods has touched 167.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to cap fares between Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram at Rs 10,000. All airlines have complied with the order, pricing tickets below Rs 10,000.

Friday's ticket prices are still significantly higher than the same a month later. Fares to and from Thiruvananthapuram average Rs 3,400 to Rs 8,000 on September 17.

There are no flights out of Thiruvananthapuram to Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluru on Friday.

The most expensive flight to Thiruvananthapuram on Friday is an Air India flight from Bengaluru that costs about Rs 21,000.

GoAir, IndiGo, and Jet Airways have also announced waivers on penalties from flight changes, no-shows and cancellations.

The floods in Kerala forced officials to open 33 dams in the state. Personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed to rescue people stranded in the flood-affected areas.

A red alert has been issued in all districts in the state except Kasargod. More than 23 helicopters and 200 additional boats will be deployed as part of the rescue operations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Thiruvananthapuram on Friday to evaluate the situation.