The Kerala Muslim Jamat (KMJ) will take out a march to the Calicut International Airport on Thursday protesting against the increase in Haj air fare from the airport.
Demanding that the Centre address “the fleecing of 60% Haj pilgrims” who had chosen the airport as their embarkation point, the KMJ said Air India was exploiting the airport in the name of operating small flights.
KMJ leaders said here on Tuesday that Air India was charging Hajis from the airport nearly double the fare of those opting Kochi and Kannur as their embarkation points. “The Calicut airport as an embarkation point has the highest fare. This is unacceptable. Air India says it is operating small flights from the Calicut airport and large flights from other airports. Last year, pilgrims from the Calicut airport had paid less fare than the fare paid by those who flew from Kochi,” said K.P. Jamal Karulai, KMJ district secretary.
He added that the sudden increase in air fare from the Calicut airport could be viewed as a deliberate attempt to destroy the airport, which was functioning under the public sector. He accused Air India of colluding with the private lobby to depreciate and destroy the airport.
P.M. Mustafa Kodur, State secretary of the KMJ, said Parliament members from Kerala should exert pressure on the Union government to re-introduce large flights for Haj services from the airport . “The Union government sanction is the only roadblock,” he said.
In a memorandum to Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, Mr. Jamal pointed out that out of the 11,556 pilgrims who went to Makkah from Kerala last year, as many as 7,045 had travelled through the Calicut airport. “This time, out of the 24,794 applicants, 14,464 have opted the airport as their preferred choice of embarkation. It had the lowest air fare in the previous years compared to Kochi and Kannur,” he said.
Mr. Jamal said when the Haj air fare at the Calicut airport was ₹1,000 less than that at the other two airports last year, the fare from Calicut this year would be ₹45,000 more. “This logic is incomprehensible and devious,” he said.
The KMJ also appealed to Union Minister for Minority Affairs Smriti Irani, Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Goa Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai seeking their intervention in the matter.
