Thursday, Mar 27, 2003
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By Our Special Correspondent
With absolutely no panic in Kuwait and no immediate need for any evacuation of Indians, the Civil Aviation Secretary, K. Roy Paul, today indicated that fares of these two airline flights from Kuwait to India could be lowered. At a press conference here after his return from Kuwait, he said he came across instances where Indian citizens had sought cancellation of their tickets as situation in Kuwait was normal. ``Both the carriers are charging normal fares now. The fares were raised earlier by Rs. 3,000 as some additional flights were being operated and the aircraft were going empty from here to Kuwait. But it was for a very brief period,'' Mr. Roy Paul said. Asked about the possibility of a reduction in the fares to Kuwait ex-India, he did not rule it out, saying it would depend upon the market forces. ``Obviously, Kuwait Airways takes the lead as the fares are decided by Kuwait.'' However, ex-India fares to Kuwait were lower than those offered by any other airlines. The initial rush after the declaration of war was over. Some foreign firms where Indians were working had closed down and the summer vacations had just begun and the people wanted to return to India, he said. Both IA and AI had operated some additional flights to cater for the demand, mainly between March 18 and March 24. At present, AI was operating six flights a week to Kuwait while Indian Airlines has 16 flights. Asked about the contingency plan for evacuating Indians from Kuwait, Mr. Paul said it would be implemented only if normal life was thrown out of gear in Kuwait. ``Right now, there is no panic and no signs of life going awry. We are not anticipating such a situation. But when required, we will not be found wanting and take care of the safety of our citizens.'' About 3.75 lakh Indians are residing in Kuwait. On the profitability of AI, he said it could only be affected ``marginally'' due to the war in Iraq. To a question why Air India was not keeping its crew in Kuwait, he said it was only a precautionary measure and the original system would be restored in the next week or so.
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