Air travel becomes expensive due to limited flights operation

Despite easing of the coronavirus fatalities and infections throughout Pakistan, there was no sign yet the government is going to fully restore the flights operations on all the airports including Lahore, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

As per the NCOC directives, national and international airlines are conducting 50 percent of flights.

According to sources, due to the limited flights, international travel has become expensive costing two to three times more.

Travelling to Dubai has almost become impossible as a returned ticket fare between Karachi and Dubai has surged phenomenally due to the limited number of flights per week.

Ten Emirates flights per week in pre-corona times has now been reduced to five flights per day, Qatar Airways’ 14 flights reduced to seven only, Turkish Airlines’ seven flights came down to four and Ittihad Airlines’ ten flights reduced to just five.

Emirates’ returned Karachi-Dubai ticket which earlier cost Rs60,000 is now costing Rs130,000 to Rs150,000, Qatar Airways returned Karachi-Dubai ticket has reached Rs140,000 while Etihad Airlines is preferring transit passengers.

Travel agents said that fares will be rationalized and will be normal after October 10th.

Worried travel agents were of the view that due to limited flights and after the exclusion of Pakistan from Britain’s Red List the airfares will skyrocket.

Before the Red List exclusion, the fare to London was Rs80,000 which now has crossed Rs200,000, said Mirza Ayub, a leader of the Travel Agents Association.

He said two months ago the returned fare to Nairobi was Rs80,000 which has now doubled.

The limited flights was also a reason for the flight of precious foreign exchange abroad.

He demanded of the NCOC to grant permission for 100 percent restoration of the flights operation in the country. “Raise in air tickets prices also multiplying travelers problems and diminishing business of the travel agents,” he added.

Reporter Saeed Ahmad Saeed