Airlines operating from Qatar to India are struggling to cope up with a significant increase in the number of passengers, resulting from a swelling Indian workforce and the holiday season. According to the Press Trust of India, Indian Airlines has been witnessing an increase of 12 to 15 per cent in passenger flow this summer, compared to last year, said a senior official of the carrier, which operates daily flights to two major destinations in Kerala (Kozhikode and Kochi).

Almost all flights from the beginning of June to mid-July are fully booked and a large number of people are still on the waiting list, Vinod Kumar, Manager, Indian Airlines, Qatar said.

Attributing the rush to a general increase in the number of the Indian workforce in Qatar as well as a seemingly higher number of students and families returning home during summer, he said this time the peak season rush started much earlier and the passenger flow has also increased.

The airline has been facing severe constraints due to limited seating capacity and the inadequacy of equipment, since many of its aircraft are undergoing major checks and maintenance in India, he told the ‘Peninsula’ newspaper.

Asked about the possibility of introducing additional flights to meet the summer rush, Kumar said, “We have requested for four additional flights for the end of June and beginning of July but I am not very hopeful about it this time due to a shortage of aircraft.”
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