Tribune News Service
Shimla, August 30
Flights will resume from the state capital after a gap of two and a half years. Alliance Air will launch its Shimla-Delhi-Shimla flight from September 6. This flight will operate with ATR42-600 with an introductory fare of Rs 2,480. The flight will depart from Delhi at 6.25 am and arrive at Shimla Jubbarhatti airport at 7.35 am and return back to Delhi at 8 am to reach delhi at 9.10 am.
"With the vision of Connecting New India, it is our endeavour to offer better air connectivity between tier-2 / tier-3 towns with their closest city hubs. Keeping with this endeavour, Alliance Air expands connectivity in North India by starting flights on Delhi-Shimla-Delhi," said Yash Vardhan Singh, Alliance Air Deputy Engineer. He said the flights will operate daily from September 6.
The absence of air connectivity to the state capital had proved a major hindrance for tourism promotion. It was a long-standing demand of hoteliers and others associated with the tourism industry to provide aerial connectivity to the "Queen of Hills."
Himachal has limited air and rail connectivity and as such the main mode of transport remains road. While flights from the other two airports at Bhuntar in Kullu and Gaggal in Dharamsala had been running smoothly, the flights from Shimla remained erratic. With a shorter runway it is not possible for bigger aircraft to land at Jubbarhatti airport, resulting in the air fare being exorbitant and the route being rendered uneconomical.
Courtesy: Tribune News Service