More flights to tackle rush of Indian expats

Air India and Indian are planning to run additional flights for Indian expatriates opting to come back to the country under the three-month amnesty scheme announced by the UAE government.

Air India and Indian are planning to run additional flights for Indian expatriates opting to come back to the country under the three-month amnesty scheme announced by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government.

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Senior officials of both the airlines said Wednesday that discussions were on with Indian consulate officials here regarding additional flights and fare concessions.

Earlier this month, the UAE government, in a bid to curb the blatant violation of labour norms, had given three months to all immigrant workers and their employers to regularise their work permits or face heavy penalties.

"We had meetings with Indian consulate officials. Our calculation says that the crowd would come in from September. At present, the condition is normal. But if they come, we will adjust them in our scheduled flights," Abhay Pathak, regional manager of Indian was quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times.

Jayshree Ramachandran, Regional Manager, Air India, said: "Right now there are no amnesty-seekers coming in. After July, there would be plenty of capacity in the flights. We are discussing a possible decrease in fares and will take a decision by the end of this month. If we see a big rush, we have to think about other options, like additional flights."