SHIMLA: On Monday, September 26, flight service between the capital of Himachal Pradesh and New Delhi was restored after a gap of over two years.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur signalled off a new Alliance Air ATR-42-600 from the Shimla airport in Jubbarhatti, launching regular flights while virtually connecting. V.K. Singh, the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, took part in the programme remotely from Delhi.
Speaking at the event, the chief minister noted that connection remained a significant concern in a hilly state like Himachal Pradesh and that the state government was continually working to improve the state's aviation connectivity. He said that planes from Shimla were unable to operate for nearly two years due to technical issues. Alliance Air flights between Shimla and Delhi will now be run seven days a week thanks to the state government's efforts and the assistance of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The Chief Minister said, an Alliance Air ATR-42-600 will take 48 passengers on a flight from Delhi to Shimla and a maximum of 24 on a flight from Shimla to Delhi. He said, 50% of the seats on these flights would be offered at a discounted rate of Rs 2,480 as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "UDAN" programme.
The Chief Minister went on to say that the corporation would set the fare for the other seats. He also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation General V.K. Singh, and Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia for starting flights with larger aircraft from Shimla. He added that these air services would increase tourism in the state.
The administration has been making "all-out efforts to expand air connectivity in the state," said Thakur. Speaking at the event, Union Minister Singh noted that the request to resume air travel between Shimla and Delhi has been raised for a considerable amount of time.
He said that the addition of Alliance Air's new ATR-42-600 would allow for increased passenger flow, and these flights would be run seven days a week.
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