Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan says will press Centre to check flight cancellations, fare hikes affecting NRIs

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the State will continue to press the Union government to intervene to check frequent flight cancellations and steep hikes in air fares that cause severe hardship to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).

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Replying to a calling attention motion moved by K.P. Kunhammed Kutty, MLA, in the Assembly on Wednesday (February 4, 2026), he said evolving an independent alternative by the State government in the aviation sector was not feasible.

The Chief Minister said the two issues had been repeatedly brought to the notice of the Centre. However, no meaningful change had been made in the Centre’s policy approach so far, he said.

Referring to large-scale disruptions caused by cancellations of IndiGo flights recently, Mr. Vijayan said the crisis had affected airports and passengers across the country.

He pointed out that the aviation sector in the country was now largely dominated by private operators, with IndiGo occupying a commanding position. Any operational difficulties faced by such a dominant player was bound to translate into widespread passenger distress. The State government had urged the Union government to take precautionary steps to ensure that such disruptions did not recur.

He, however, clarified that introducing a parallel or alternative flight arrangement by the Kerala government was not feasible at present and was therefore not under consideration. He said the possibility of operating chartered flights during peak seasons such as festivals to assist expatriates returning home was explored, but such efforts could not be implemented due to multiple practical constraints.

At Calicut, Kannur airports

Responding to a question on improving flight connectivity at the Calicut and Kannur International Airports, Mr. Vijayan said the two airports faced different challenges. The Calicut airport required improvements in its physical infrastructure and land acquisition was under way to address such limitations. Despite having adequate facilities, the Kannur airport was yet to receive the Point of Call status from the Centre, which had prevented the introduction of more domestic, international and cargo services.