Woes of Kerala fliers: Ravi seeks Ajit`s intervention

New Delhi: Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi today sought the intervention of Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh to solve problems faced by fliers from Kerala due to frequent cancellation of Gulf-bound flights.

Ravi, who held the additional charge of Civil Aviation Ministry before it was given to Singh, said the Minister assured him that all steps will be taken to resolve the issues related to services of Air India Express to Kerala from different Gulf countries. "I met Ajit Singh today to apprise him of the misery of overseas-based Keralites, who face problems due to the steep increase in Air India fares and continuous flight disruptions. He told me that steps are being taken to solve the problems," Ravi said. Air India CMD Rohit Nandan was also present at the meeting in which the recent hijack alarm incident at the Thiruvananthapuram airport was also discussed. Around 200 passengers of AI Kochi-bound flight from Abu Dhabi had on October 19 protested and some allegedly tried entering the cockpit following which the pilot sounded a hijack alert at the airport. The passengers allegedly tried to enter the cockpit after the Kochi-bound flight was diverted to Thiruvananthapuram due to bad visibility. Several flights have been cancelled in the last few weeks, causing hardship to passengers, many of whom faced the prospect of losing jobs as they could not reach their destination in time. Many political parties have also staged demonstrations outside Air India offices in Kerala on this issue during the past few weeks. PTI