Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has urged the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to look into complaints of exorbitant airfares on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru and Mangaluru-Mumbai sectors, besides seeking additional flights on these routes.
In a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia, KCCI president M Ganesh Kamath said Mangaluru airport has only five daily flights to and from Bengaluru, and three daily flights to and from Mumbai. All these flights operate at full capacity.
“With these limited flights and just two airlines flying on these routes, we see that the airfares are exorbitant, almost at par with international connections to nearby countries,” Kamath said.
Passengers spend huge amounts on these short-distance flights, making it unviable for the common man, he said.
Requesting the ministry to regulate the airfare in these sectors, he said newer airlines should be asked to start services to meet the growing demand.
“The introduction of newer airlines on these routes would bring price competitiveness,” he said.
In separate letters to different airlines, KCCI invited them to start additional operations in Mangaluru.