Amarnath Yatra: Air India caps fares to and from Srinagar at Rs 9,500 after terror alert
In light of potential terror threats to the Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir, national carrier Air India on Sunday announced to cap the fare at Rs 9,500 for all flights to and from Srinagar till August 15.
“In view of the prevailing circumstances, Air India has decided to cap the fare at Rs 9,500 for all Air India flights to and from Srinagar till 15th August,” the airline posted on Twitter.
An advisory by the Jammu and Kashmir government, asking tourists to leave the Valley in light of potential terror threats to the Yatra, has led the Central government and the aviation regulator to convene high-level meetings with air transport operators to consider the option of mounting additional flights to ferry tourists out of the Valley.
Airlines flying to Srinagar have started offering fee waivers on ticket cancellations for flights to and from the airport. Additionally, travel operators have indicated that people have started cancelling upcoming trips to the region.
“The civil aviation ministry and the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) are on alert following the advisory by the J&K government and are taking the relevant actions to ensure passenger safety and convenience,” the official said, adding that the priority was to evacuate those on the Amarnath Yatra route. Another source said that Srinagar airport officials met airline representatives posted there to take stock of the situation and discuss various safety issues
On Saturday, more than 6,000 people were flown out of Srinagar by scheduled airlines and Indian Air Force planes. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) stated that 6,216 passengers reported at Srinagar airport on Saturday to fly back.
Of this, 5,829 passengers travelled by scheduled flights, and the “remaining 387 passengers were accommodated in four IAF aircraft and flown to destinations like Jammu, Pathankot and Hindon,” AAI had said in a statement.
Over the next seven days, over 150 flights are scheduled to fly from Srinagar to various airports outside the state, including Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
India’s largest airline IndiGo had earlier said in a tweet: “In view of the current security situation in Srinagar and the government advisory regarding it, we are providing a full fee waiver on rescheduling/cancellation for all flights to/from Srinagar till August 9.”
Indian Express
