{"id":11161,"date":"2025-02-24T16:05:17","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T16:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/cardiffnewsplus\/?p=11161"},"modified":"2025-03-03T20:44:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T20:44:53","slug":"cardiff-south-indians-demands-to-reinstate-direct-flights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/cardiffnewsplus\/cardiff-south-indians-demands-to-reinstate-direct-flights\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardiff South Indians demands to reinstate direct flights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Thousands of South Indian Kerala community in Cardiff are worried about Air India\u2019s decision to cancel direct flights from London Gatwick to Kochi.   Four thousand people have signed a petition demanding the flight from Gatwick is reinstated, after it was cancelled to carry out repairs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UK is home to half a million people from Kerala including an estimated 10,000 in Cardiff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some have come to study, but many have come to work including a substantial number as nurses in the NHS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many arrived here on a direct flight, from the economic capital of Kochi to London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is the quickest way to visit family & friends. And now this journey has become difficult for them since Air India announced suspension of their direct flight from March 28 this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For one Cardiff family, the flight was an important connection between generations. Robin Joseph, an engineer from Cardiff Bay says his parents will have to wait to meet their new born grandson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This is disappointing because we are a family of four with a new born kid and a 5-year-old girl,” he says “We had plans to travel but because of this announcement we have cancelled our plans to go home during the holidays. We wanted to baptise our new born boy in the coming July.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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