Government urged to cut flight ticket rates

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some people have been complaining about exorbitant rates of passenger planes tickets while the National Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said ticket rates have been reduced and would conduct a fresh inspection as well.

Niamatullah Helmandi, a social media user on his Facebook page, wrote that some passengers in Saudi Arabia complained about high airfare.

He wrote airfare from Riyadh to Islamabad was 520 Riyal while Kam Air and Aryana Airlines charged every passenger 2,200 Riyals from Riyadh to Kabul.

He urged the government to fix fair airfares, so it would be a huge support to passengers.

He quoted a passenger as saying: “We are earning money in Saudi Arabia for Kam Air airlines, not for ourselves, we work and earn here but when we go back home, Kam Air airlines extorts us through its high ticket prices.”

He published the voice clip of a passenger who said: “I was prepared, made clothes and everything wanted to go to home in for Eid but I reversed my decision because one way ticket is 2,100 Riyals and visa is 600 Riyal so I change my mind.”

Karim, another passenger, told Pajhwok Afghan News he recently traveled to Pakistan, Riyadh and then Russia to ensure his trip is economical. He added his uncle went to Iran from where he would travel to Dubai.

He said similarly there are some other passengers who travel to the second country to ensure the air fare is reasonable.

Rahim Sikandar, another social media user, said: “Kam Air and Aryan Airlines are unfair, all the passengers are complaining and they should bring down the tickets.”

Sadaqat Kochai wrote: “In the past two years, the Aryana and Kam Air Airlines were unfair to passengers, they pressed them to the great extent by charging high fares.”

“One of my friends who work in a shop in Saudi Arabia did not go to his home from the past three year due to high ticket rate. I asked him about the ticket and he said that from Riyadh to Kabul the ticket price is 2,500 Riyals while from Riyadh to Islamabad it is around 600 Riyals.”

Mansour Afghan, a ticket salesperson, told Pajhwok Afghan News before political change the rate of a single person ticket from Kabul to Moscow was $300 but currently the same ticket is accounted for $650 Afs.

He said before the price of a ticket from Kabul to Riyadh was sold at $350 while currently the rate had surged to $550.

He said the reason behind high ticket rate was the halt of foreign airlines to Afghanistan and added there was no competition among airlines now and only two companies operated.

He said in the past Fly Dubai, Al Arabia, Emirates and other airlines operated flights to Kabul.

“Airlines here held monopoly and suppressed passengers by charging high rates; he asked government to control the rates of air tickets.”

After complaints registered on social media against high air fares, the National Aviation Authority on its facebook page wrote that current air fares between Kabul-Jeddah, Kabul-Dubai, Kabul-Istanbul and Kabul-Riyadh were temporary.

It added air fares had been fixed after consultation between the technical teams of the aviation authority and airlines teams.

Airlines fares declined by nearly 10pc: CAA

The ACAA said that Kabul-Jeddah-Kabul ticket reduced from $940 to $780, Kabul-Jeddah from $540 to 510, Jeddah-Kabul from $500 to $480, Kabul Riyadh-Kabul from $1,010 to $820, Kabul-Riyadh from $555 to $510, Riyadh Kabul from $555 to $510, Kabul-Dubai-Kabul from $672 to $600, Kabul Dubai from $405 to $360, Dubai-Kabul from $370 to $310, Kabul-Istanbul-Kabul from $900 to $880, Kabul-Istanbul from $505 to $470, Istanbul-Kabul from $470 to $450.

Pajhwok shared the matter related to high air fares with Kam Air and Aryana Airlines but the companies declined to share their views.

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