Low prices are due to off-season, arrival of Saudi Airlines Airfares of scheduled airlines and low-cost carriers, including foreign ones, to destinations in West Asia have touched rock bottom.Seats are available in the range of ₹5,300 to ₹15,480 from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Kozhikode. On October 8, a seat in economy class to Dubai is available for ₹5,300 from Thiruvananthapuram, ₹5,100 from Kochi, and ₹6,700 from Kozhikode in the low-cost airline IndiGo. Besides Dubai, similar fares are available to Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Dammam, Riyadh, and Kuwait.The low fares have been effected weeks after the airlines steeply hiked the airfares, five to 10 times, to West Asia in view of the demand from NoRKs returning after Bakrid and Onam.On September 5, the fares were in the range of ₹29,260 to ₹41,250 to Dubai from the State. The airfare to Jeddah was in the range of ₹42,700 to ₹99,350 and ₹51,250 to ₹85,550 to Riyadh.Only Air India Express came up with additional flights to select destinations to provide some succour to the flyers following an appeal by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.“The decision of the airlines to roll down the prices is due to the off-season and commencement of classes in educational institutions, during which the NoRKs prefer not to travel,” airline sources said.The arrival of Saudi Airlines (Saudia) to the State capital from October 1 has also resulted in the other airlines reducing the fares to Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam.
Likely till November
A city-based tour operator said that the low fares would continue till November with a sudden hike likely during the forthcoming festive season
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Source: http://www.thehindu.com/
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