Shimla will get connected to Delhi by air for five days a week from Wednesday to Sunday under ‘Udan’ scheme…
(PHOTO: Getty Images)
Shimla will get connected to Delhi by air for five days a week from Wednesday to Sunday under ‘Udan’ scheme with subsidized air fare for some seats, after Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurates it on 27 April.
Once done, it is set to give a boost to tourism to the Queen of Hills, which had been suffering on account of scheduled air connectivity with Delhi for five years now.
“Prime Minister will flag off the inaugural flight at Jubbarhatti airport in Shimla at 11.45 am on Thursday. Under the regional connectivity scheme, Udan, the PM will also flag off inaugural flight from Nanded-Mumbai-Hyderabad in Maharashtra and Katappa-Hyderabad in Karnatka from Jubbarhatti, Shimla,” said RK Choubey, Secretary, Civil Aviation, Government of India after a meeting here.
Advertisement
Commissioner Tourism and Civil Aviation, Dinesh Malhotra informed that 10 tickets for the inaugural flight are available at Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) Marketing Office, The Mall, Shimla at the rate of Rs.1920/- per ticket.
Malhotra said the time schedule for further regular flights from 28 April onwards will be departure at 6.10 am from Delhi and arrival at 7.25 am at Shimla. The flight will have its departure from Shimla at7.45 am and arrival at 8.45 am at Delhi.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alliance Airways said as a goodwill gesture, two students from the orphanage Shimla will be taken to Delhi and will be sent back next day on the flight. “They will be special guests of the Alliance Airways,” he said.
Shimla had been sans scheduled air connectivity for five years, initially for some technical problems with Jubbarhatti airport near here and later for reluctance of private air lines to fly between Shimla and Delhi for cost reasons.
The state government had been pursuing the matter with the Central government for subsidised air connectivity between Shimla and Delhi on the pattern of North Eastern states for the sake of tourism.
Advertisement
