Delhi to Shimla at just Rs 2,500! PM Narendra Modi to flag off 1st Udan flight today

Shimla: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his day-long visit to the "Queen of Hills" will launch the central government`s subsidised air regional connectivity scheme UDAN, or "Ude Desh ka Har Nagarik", building efficient regional air connectivity, from Shimla`s airport at Jubbarhatti on Thursday.

A regular flight, which will operate five days in a week from Wednesday, will depart at 6.10 a.m. from Delhi and will arrive here at 7.25 a.m.

On the same day, it will depart at 7.45 a.m. from Shimla and will return to Delhi at 8.45 a.m.

“The Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first UDAN flight under RCS on Shimla-Delhi sector on April 27, 2017. Simultaneously, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will also flag off the inaugural UDAN flights on Kadapa – Hyderabad and Nanded-Hyderabad sectors,” said a release from the government.

"Airfare for a 1-hour journey of appx. 500 km on a fixed wing aircraft or for 30 minute journey on a helicopter would be capped at Rs. 2,500," the PMO said.

Members of the tourism industry are elated as they are hopeful that high-end tourists, especially foreigners and business travellers, will return to the state capital and its nearby destinations with the plying of regular flights after a long break.

Kingfisher was the only airline that operated regular flights between Delhi and Shimla till September 6, 2012.

Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corp (HPTDC) General Manager Vijay Sharma said regular plying of flights would give a big boost to the tourism industry.

The annual tourist arrival in Himachal Pradesh crossed 1.8 crore (18 million) in 2016. The tourism sector contributes approximately seven per cent of the State Gross Domestic Product.

According to Economic Survey report of 2016-17, a total of 2,604 hotels having bed capacity of 70,869 are registered with the state tourism department.

State Commissioner of Tourism and Civil Aviation Dinesh Malhotra said all the 10 tickets, each costing Rs 1,920, for the inaugural flight to Delhi from Shimla have been sold out at the HPTDC office at Shimla`s Scandal Point.

With IANS Inputs