Foreign carriers engaged in charter operations from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Kerala are under scanner after the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has found that UAE-based airlines flouted charter standards, standard operating procedures and the agreement between the UAE and the Civil Aviation authorities for charter flight operations outside Kerala. The authorities are now keeping a close watch on Emirates, Etihad, Fly Dubai, and Air Arabia that are given the nod to operate flights to airports in the State for 15 days till July 26.
As per the agreement, the airlines based in the UAE could sell tickets only in one direction. To operate chartered flights, they would need the approval of State governments and the Indian Embassy. Since June 25, institutions and organisations have been barred from applying directly to operate charters from foreign countries.
Online tickets
Despite such an agreement, the DGCA has found that the foreign carriers based in the UAE are selling tickets online for flights that are supposed to be chartered without taking NOC from the State governments and keeping the Indian Embassy in the dark.
However, according to sources in one of the airlines, the charter flight operations to Kerala are as per norms and the agreement. Here, Emirates alone has been given permission to operate 50 chartered flights — 35 to Kochi and 15 to Thiruvananthapuram — to bring back the remaining Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs).
“The State government here has been quick in handing over the nod to operate the flights till July 26 and to inform the approval granted to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Embassy and the DGCA. The mechanism in Kerala is well-organised,” they added.
One flight
They cited the poor load factor in return flights as a matter of concern. Emirates, which has got the nod to operate the Boeing 777-300 ER that can carry 482, is operating only one flight daily instead of two to Kochi. The main reason for this is the delay in getting the COVID-19 negative test result of the PCR test conducted not more than 96 hours before departure of flight.
“The flight that arrived in Kochi had 142 passengers and 99 in the return journey. We hope the flights will be full by next week,” the sources said.
Air India Express (AIE) is also operating 51 flights for those with valid United Arab Emirate’s Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) entry permit and resident visa from the four airports to return to the emirates.
Of the 51 flights to be operated till July 26, 21 are to Kochi, 15 to Kozhikode, nine to Thiruvananthapuram and six to Kannur. The last flight from Kerala will be from Kozhikode to Abu Dhabi (IX 1363) at 8 a.m. on July 26. In all, the AIE has been tasked to operate 98 flights from nine airports, including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, in the country to the UAE.
