Shimla airport seeks more flights to Delhi
HEAVY RUSH Local MP says will take up issue with aviation ministry
SHIMLA:In the wake of an increase in the volume of passengers, the Shimla airport authorities have demanded that the frequency of flights between Shimla and New Delhi be increased.
Shimla MP Virender Kashyap chaired a meeting of the Shimla airport advisory committee in this regard. During the meeting, the MP discussed the demand to increase the frequency of flights and assured to raise the matter with minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha.
Earlier, airport director Sunil Maggirwar had urged the authorities to either start new flights or increase the frequency of existing ones. “On Our request the flight days have been increased from 5 to 6,” he said.
It was also decided to request the authorities to change the flight timings. It was observed that present timings of Alliance Air are not suitable for passengers from both Shimla and New Delhi. Timings have to be changed – departure from Delhi at 9am and arrival at Shimla at 10am and departure from Shimla 10:20am and arrival Delhi 11:20am, reads the Meeting minutes.
The local airport authorities also underlined the need to follow up the matter of Deccan Airlines’ proposed flight from August as per the UDAN scheme but did not start. The advisory committee also inspected the airport area and discussed possibilities of extension of the airstrip and expanding some area so that more flights could be accommodated. The airport is expecting private chartered flights in the months to come due to assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh.
In 2012, flights from the airport were suspended in the wake of soil erosion, leading to runway shrinkage from 4,100 feet to 3,800 feet. The Kingfisher Airlines stopped operations on September 6, 2012, affecting high-end tourism in and around the capital city. Flights were resumed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched UDAN scheme in April this year.
IN 2012, FLIGHTS FROM THE AIRPORT WERE SUSPENDED DUE TO SOIL EROSION, LEADING TO RUNWAY SHRINKAGE