Air Kerala yet to take off,domains already registered
Gireesh P Krishnan TNN
Kochi: Air Kerala,the ambitious project planned by the state government with the support of non-resident Keralites (NRKs),is well on track.But owning a website domain with the name Air Kerala is going to be a difficult affair for the government as all possible domains with the name have already been registered.
Anticipating possibilities of the airline becoming a reality in the state,domain sellers have registered almost all domains well in advance to reap benefits in future.The domains registered include airkerala.com,airkerala.org,airkerala.net and airkerala-. co.in.The airkerala.com is registered by Sathar Al Karan,a native of Thrissur settled in the United Arab Emirates.Interestingly,Sathar has already registered 1,600 website domains.According to IT experts,creation of domains is a multi-crore business as individuals and private firms are willing to shell out huge amounts to own them.
He registered the domain in 2000 and it will expire on 2016.As per the latest reports,the state government is trying to launch the airline by April 2013.Sathar has already sold over 100 domains for companies and people from the state.Interestingly,he has also uploaded the latest information regarding the Air Kerala project in the domain he owns.
I registered the domain years ago as I was confident that one day Air Kerala would become a reality.I will soon be in touch with the Air Kerala authorities with an offer to sell the domain.I am planning to demand Rs 5 crore if the government or Air Kerala authorities want Air Kerala.com domain, Sathar said.Meanwhile,K Babu,minister for ports and excise,said,No decision has been taken regarding the registration of Air Kerala domain.We will think of options when the project becomes a reality.
