KLANG: Although southern India is not affected by India-Pakistan fighting, flights there are also seeing a drop in passengers as Malaysians get jittery about going to the sub-continent.
Flights to the north of India have already been cancelled.
Many who had planned to travel to southern India were cancelling their bookings despite having paid for their tickets, says travel agency owner A. Anandarajan.
“India-Pakistan fighting has always been between the armies but this time, tourists were targeted. That is why people are afraid,’’ said Anandarajan, 50.
The ongoing war was sparked by a terrorist attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, with 26 civilians killed.
“Unfortunately, the airlines will not reimburse their tickets, as the airports to which these clients were supposed to fly are not closed,” he said.
India has shut down several airports in northern and western regions, including those in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
However, airports in central and southern India remain open.
S. Kathiravan, 50, another travel agency owner, said his business will drop by at least 40% due to the conflict.
“A lot of people have cancelled their bookings and stopped their queries to travel to India.
“We now have to convince our clients to change their holiday travel plans to other parts of the world,’’ he added.
Kathiravan said his office has been receiving dozens of calls daily since the closure of the airports were announced.
“Even those who had booked to go to south India want to cancel,’’ he said, echoing Anandarajan.
Pakistanis, however, are still travelling home despite the war, said Tamin, a manager at a travel agency.
“Most of them work in Malaysia and we usually book them on Malindo Air, which has now been temporarily suspended. We are putting them on Pakistan International Airlines which is our only option,’’ said Tamin.
However, he added his business was still affected as non-Pakistanis had cancelled their plans.
“We also arrange trips and tours to Amritsar in Punjab. That has been badly affected,’’ he added.
Meanwhile, travel agency owner Kuldeep Singh, 60, based in Amritsar in Punjab, said he was expecting to face big losses due to the airport closures and trip cancellations.
He said that Indians, especially Sikhs, from other parts of the world have also cancelled bookings due to the armed conflict.
