No takers for three new routes from Hindon airport

GHAZIABAD: There are no takers for the three proposed routes to Ayodhya, Kushinagar and Pithoragarh from the Hindon civil terminal in Ghaziabad. The three routes were announced in October last year.

However, officials of the Airports Authority of India said they are hopeful that some private airlines may soon offer their services on these routes as the Covid-19 pandemic situation has improved.

Presently, the civil terminal at Sikandarpur near the Hindon air base operates flights to Hubli and Kalaburgi, both in Karnataka, as the initial route from Hindon to Pithoragarh is still suspended. “The private airlines have not shown much interest in the three proposed routes to Pithoragrh, Kushinagar and Ayodhya. The initial route for Pithoragarh was suspended by the private airline which operated it. At present, we have only two routes -- Hindon to Hubli and Hindon to Kalaburgi -- operational,” said Shobha Bhardwaj, director of the civil terminal.

According to the officials, the new routes will be popular as

Ayodhya is famous for religious and historical importance, and Kushinagar is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site, while Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand is a famous hill station.

The civil terminal, which became operational in 2019, operates flights to different routes under the central government’s regional connectivity services, also known as ‘Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik’ (UDAN).

According to the officials, the Hindon civil terminal is proposed to operate flights to eight routes -- Nasik, Pithoragarh, Kannur, Hubli, Faizabad, Shimla, Jamnagar and Kalaburgi.