COVID-19 effect: TAAI asks govt to form joint working group with airlines

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has asked the Civil Aviation Ministry to form a joint working group (JWG) with airlines to safeguard the interests of the travel industry as well as passengers.

Passengers and travel agents have been complaining for the last few weeks that airlines, instead of giving full refunds for flights cancelled due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, are giving credit vouchers which can be used for booking another ticket at a later date.

In a letter to Civil Aviation Secretary P S Kharola on May 13, TAAI president Jyoti Mayal said the joint working group should be headed by him only.

"This group should work like the GST council along with stakeholders which shall ensure a win-win situation for all in the interest of passengers and the travel trade," Mayal said.

The JWG should consist of representatives of the Civil Aviation Ministry, International Air Transport Association (IATA), airlines and the TAAI, the letter said.

Mayal said the government should ensure that all airlines keep some financial security with the ministry against all defaults.

"Many airlines like Kingfisher, Jet Airways, US Airways, Continental, Wow Air and many more that operated in and from India have gone bust over the years and the money of customers/passengers and agents have been written off which is over billions," she said.

She said travel agents are hit the hardest whenever such an event happens and a financial security from the airlines will help them as well as the passengers.

The aviation sector in India has been hit hard as the Modi government decided to suspend all scheduled commercial flights since March 25 to curb the spread of COVID-19.

As the fourth phase of lockdown will end on May 31, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced on Wednesday that domestic passenger flights will restart from May 25 in a calibrated manner.