JEDDAH: A nonresident Indian group announced a group airfare scheme offering low-fair ticketing to expats.
The officials of Pravasi Legal Aid Cell India (Pleace India) said the fares during the peak season have gone up as high as US$ 800 and up to US$590 during the offseason, which have become unaffordable for ordinary expats.
"We are in talks with major airline operators in the Middle East and we hope to ink a deal soon. We plan to make available affordable tickets for at least 100,000 holiday-makers in a year," said N. Vikraman, legal consultant of Pleace India.
He explained that the fares could be brought down by 25 percent taking advantage of bulk purchase from the airline operators. The group hopes to make the tickets available at an average cost of US$ 450. Registration under this scheme has started at http:/pravasi.infoclub.in/airtickets.
The sponsors of 80 percent of the expatriate workers provide free air tickets for an annual vacation as part of the service contract. However, the remaining 20 percent find it hard to pay for the annual vacation.
Pleace India provides legal assistance to expatriates in distress. The group is registered with the Supreme Court of India as a nonprofit organization and functions in close coordination with the overseas Indian affairs departments of federal and state governments. It currently works among the expatriates in Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh.
"Travelers from Kerala to Saudi Arabia too can make use of this facility. Eventually we hope to extend the facility to other Gulf Cooperation Council countries where there is a sizeable Indian community.
