Travel question: Why can’t I buy a UK-India charter flight to Goa?

Q I want to fly to visit family in India with a charter flight, not because of the cost but because I am anxious about flying. They fly nonstop between Gatwick and Goa, while with other airlines I would need to change planes and suffer twice as many flights. But I have been told that because I have an Indian passport I am not allowed to buy a ticket. Would you agree this looks like a case of downright discrimination? Can’t the government outlaw such behaviour?

Name withheld

A Don’t blame the airline. It is bound by an annoying rule from the government in Delhi that prevents it selling UK-India charter flights to Indian nationals. The same sort of stipulation applies for some other destinations, including Kenya, Morocco and – when services are operating – Sri Lanka. The Indian restriction has its roots in the days when scheduled flights between Britain and India were very expensive, relative to prevailing earning levels. The supply of seats was restricted in order to protect Air India, the inefficient national airline.

Companies such as Thomson (now Tui) began to offer package holidays to Indian Ocean resorts in Goa and Kerala. They also sold flight-only deals to independent travellers. But they were told that these must not be sold to people holding Indian citizenship, for fear that they would take advantage of this cut-price way to visit family rather than pay the ambitious sums demanded by Air India.

Since then, thankfully, the number of options to fly between the UK and India has dramatically increased, largely thanks to the Gulf carriers. When I flew out to Kerala earlier this year, I paid £405 return – less than the fare 25 years ago. I was happy to change planes in Bahrain, but I can understand that anxious flyers might not be.

Tui Airways says it is “not permitted to carry certain nationals to and from their country of origin, due to licensing law restrictions in place with overseas aviation authorities”. If you have a non-Indian spouse and they are travelling too, then double-check with the airline: you may after all be allowed to book flights. Otherwise all I can suggest is that you wait for this antiquated and unfair rule to change.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder