Ludhiana, Sep 6 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Wednesday launched a flight from Ludhiana to Hindon in Ghaziabad, thus resuming traffic from the airport here after a gap of more than two years.
He said the airline will offer a ticket at Rs 999 for the first three months, making the one-way air travel from Ludhiana to the NCR cheaper than bus travel.
It will be operated by Big Charter Private Limited in the name Fly Big Airlines, said Mann, adding it will be a five-day a week service for now but will operate on all seven days from next month.
Mann further said the 90-minute flight will help easy movement of entrepreneurs, traders and industrialists, thereby boosting trade, commerce and economic activity in the region, he said.
Flights were operated by the Alliance Air from the airport under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) from September 2, 2017 till April 9, 2021, he said.
But due to the apathetic attitude of previous state governments, flights were discontinued from the airport, he said, adding his government has been making an all-out effort for the resumption of flights from the airport.
He said due to concerted efforts of his government, Big Charter Private Limited has been awarded a new route from Hindon-Ludhiana-Hindon under the RCS scheme.
“Today this airline has started commercial operation on this route with 19-seater twin otter aircraft, a short takeoff and landing utility transport aircraft that can be readily used on short runways,” he said.
To provide cheap travel facilities, the state government will bear the viability gap funding (VGF) on all the 19 tickets, he said. All the 19 seats will be provided with VGF gap funding of Rs 11,829 per ticket for one-way journey, adding that state share will be 20 percent, he said.
He also said more flights will be started soon from other airports in the state.
Air terminal at Adampur is ready for operations and airline company SpiceJet will start a daily flight from Adampur to Nanded, Delhi, Goa, Kolkata and Bengaluru in the next two months, said Mann in an official release.
He said Star Alliance will also start daily one flight from Adampur to Hindon, adding that in the coming two months, daily flights will start from Bathinda to Delhi and Bathinda to Hindon airport by Alliance Air and Fly Big company respectively.
Flights will also start operating from Sahnewal Airport to Delhi Airport by Alliance Air in next two months under RCS- Udaan Scheme, said Mann. PTI COR CHS TIR TIR
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