UDAN GETS OFF TO A FLYING START
ALLAHABAD: Jet Airways on Thursday commenced its air connectivity service Udan (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), under the central government’s regional connectivity scheme (RCS), connecting Allahabad with Lucknow and Patna.
Addressing the inaugural function here, UP minister for civil aviation and stamp Nand Gopal Gupta said, “Udan is an air service for the common man which will speed up the pace of development and progress of the people and the region.”
The service will offer thrice a week flights connecting the three cities.
Of the seven sectors that Jet Airways has been awarded in the second round of bidding under the Udan scheme, the airline is launching five this week.
These five sectors include Lucknow-Allahabad-Lucknow, Patna-Allahabad-Patna, Nagpur-Allahabad-Nagpur, Indore-Allahabad-Indore, and Delhi-Nashik-Delhi. Services on the remaining two routes – Lucknow-Bareilly-Lucknow and Delhi-Bareilly-Delhi – are likely to be launched once necessary clearances are received for the Bareilly airport. Ahead of the launch of the service from Allahabad, a multi-faith prayer ceremony was conducted and a ceremonial lamp was lit to mark the occasion.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Allahabad MP Shyama Charan Gupta, special secretary (civil aviation), UP, Surya Pal Gangwar, Allahabad divisional commissioner Ashish Kumar Goyal, district magistrate Suhas LY, air officer commanding-in-chief, IAF Central Air Command (CAC), air marshal SBP Sinha, senior air staff officer, CAC, air marshal AS Butola, and chief finance officer and deputy CEO of Jet Airways Amit Agarwal. Jet Airways CFO Amit Agarwal said, “We have been connecting India with the rest of the world for over 25 years and are proud to now launch our latest service.”