Modi to flag off regional connectivity plan today
An Alliance Air ATR-42 aircraft with 15 passengers will take off from Shimla airport on 11:15 am on Thursday, signalling the launch of Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the Shimla-Delhi flight from the Himachal Pradesh capital and launch two other services (Kadapa-Hyderabad and Nanded-Hyderabad) under the government plan that aims to link unconnected towns at affordable fares.
The Kadapa-Hyderabad and Nanded-Hyderabad flights will be operated by TruJet and minimum ticket rate on these two routes is ~1,000 one-way.
“We will operate the ATR-42 aircraft five times a week between Delhi-Shimla. The demand is positive and seats on the route are filling up fast,” said Alliance Air chief executive C S Subbiah. Alliance Air is a subsidiary of Air India.
Under RCS, an airline is bound to sell 50 per cent of the seats at subsidised fares. On Delhi-Shimla route, one-way ticket is priced at ~1,920. The ATR-42 aircraft has 48 seats but due to restrictions at the Shimla airport, Alliance Air will only be able to fill 35 seats to Shimla and 15 seats on its return to Delhi. The highest fare on Delhi-Shimla route has been kept at ~20,000 one-way.
While a total of 70 airports have been selected under RCS, the launch from Shimla has a significance. Despite being a state capital, Shimla lacked air connectivity and a petition was filed in state high court demanding resumption of flights, which were suspended in 2012. The petition is in Supreme Court.
Alliance Air is seeking ~1.4 lakh per return flight from Himachal Pradesh government to cover its costs. The state government has as yet not accepted the demand but the airline is hopeful of a positive response.
“We will launch service on NandedMumbai route from May 15. Currently, we have four ATR-72 aircraft and we will increase our fleet to six by July-end. Totally, we have decided to operate on 18 routes,” said Vankayalapati Umesh, managing director of TruJet.
Under Regional Connectivity Scheme, an airline is bound to sell 50 per cent of the seats at subsidised fares