West Asia tensions disrupt flights, hit Central Asia tourism from Kerala
KOCHI: Amid the escalating Iran-Israel conflict, several airlines are cancelling or diverting flights by avoiding airspaces in West Asia, which has severely impacted tourism to Central Asian countries, especially Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia.
This has severely affected travel operators in Kerala who have seen a nearly 30% decline in inbound and outbound tourism linked to these countries. Many find themselves trapped between airline operators and travellers, having been forced to reimburse cancelled tours while still awaiting refunds from airlines.
Meanwhile, travellers have been advised to prepare themselves for possible delays and unscheduled layovers in the wake of reduced connectivity on key routes and sudden cancellation of flights.
'A group that had travelled to Russia had its scheduled five-day visit extended to eight days, after the scheduled Air Arabia return flight was cancelled. The airline could accommodate them only on the third day,' Anu Sebastian, general manager of Kochi-based Gooout Tour & Travels Pvt Ltd, told TNIE.
Budget airlines like Air Arabia Abu Dhabi have cancelled flights through West Asian airspace from June 20 to 30, further compounding travel woes.
'We initially booked seats on an Air Arabia Abu Dhabi flight as part of plans to visit Georgia. However, we received a message that the flight was cancelled. Without informing us, the airline issued a credit voucher for the cost of our tickets, which meant that we could only use that for travel on that airline.
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