"Aircraft as old as 30 years, condemned in other places, are being used by Air India here, which should be stopped as it poses a danger to the passengers', association office bearers told a press conference in Kozhikode.
Claiming that Karipur airport had been recording very high revenue ever since it attained international status recently, they said the services provided to passengers were extremely poor, as many Air India Express flights were frequently cancelled or postponed, citing 'technical snags'.
The association, scheduled to hold its state meet in Thiruvananthapuram
next month, would chalk out the future course of action to put pressure on the authorities concerned to do away with the outdated aircraft, they said.
"Out of Rs 85,000 crore (Rs 850 billion) revenue brought annually by non-resident Keralites account for Rs 56,000 crore (Rs 560 billion)', they said.
The association also proposed to seek a portion of about Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion) deposited with the emigration department for clearance since 1977 as Keralites had contributed a major part of the sum, they said, adding they would soon take out a march to Parliament to meet the demand.
Besides seeking rehabilitation for Non-Resident Keralites, the association also demanded that the Centre take steps to bring back those languishing in jails abroad.
