Around 30 Indian expatriate organizations and community groups are set to convene a summit in New Delhi to address the issue of exorbitant airfares, particularly during peak holiday seasons.
The “Diaspora Summit in Delhi,” organized by the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) Abu Dhabi, will take place on August 8 and aims to draw the attention of politicians and decision-makers to this pressing concern.
Senior Indian politicians and approximately 200 community members from the UAE are expected to attend the summit, which will be held in collaboration with KMCC Delhi and about 30 associations from Abu Dhabi. The event will focus on the significant price hikes in airfares during periods such as New Year, school vacations, and festivals like Eid Al Fitr, Eid Al Adha, Onam, and Christmas.
“Airfares, especially in the Kerala-Gulf sector, skyrocket during the holiday season. Apart from 3-4 months, the fares are exorbitant. It’s our blue-collar workers who are the most affected. They travel once in two years, and sudden surges in airfares leave a hole in their pockets. It is inhumane,” said Shukoor Ali Kallungal, president of KMCC, Abu Dhabi.
The summit will also address issues such as the massive cancellation of flights, irregular services by Air India Express, and the need for more international airlines to operate from Abu Dhabi. Organizers are aiming to involve all Members of Parliament from Kerala in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to ensure the concerns are heard and acted upon.
“We have made a detailed report and will submit our concerns to the politicians we have helped win during the elections. It is high time they acted. We will seek the Indian government’s intervention in this regard,” Kallungal added.
Haris Beeran, Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha from the Indian Union Muslim League and president of KMCC Delhi, is actively working to ensure the summit’s success. Recently, Beeran raised the issue of rising airfares in the Rajya Sabha, and the summit organizers hope that Ram Mohan Naidu, the federal Civil Aviation Minister, will address their concerns.
Representatives from about 30 expat groups recently gathered at the Indian Islamic Centre in Abu Dhabi to officially announce the summit. “We have been raising this issue here for years but have failed to get a positive response. So, now we have decided to raise our voices in front of our politicians. It is not just for Abu Dhabi or the UAE, but the Gulf region. Successive governments are pretending not to see the clamour raised by expatriate organizations demanding a permanent solution. We are hopeful of a lasting solution to this vexed problem,” Kallungal concluded.
