Shimla, September 10 – Air Deccan, India’s low-cost airline, will soon start operating flights to the scenic Kangra valley in Himachal Pradesh.
The Kangra airport, some 240 km from here, was recently upgraded and 50-seater planes can now land there.
Said Kangra district magistrate Bharat Khera: ‘The Kangra airport runway has been increased from 3,900 feet to 4,500 feet to enable 50-seater planes to land here with ease.’
The decision to start flights to the valley was taken after Air Deccan officials met with top state officials earlier this week.
‘By the end of this month we will start trial flights after which daily flights could be started from Delhi to Kangra,’ said B.M. Uthai, deputy general manager (operations) of Air Deccan.
However, the no-frills airline has asked the state government to cut down a few trees close to the runway and officials have assured them that this would be done soon.
Air Deccan has also promised to bring down the tariffs by half on this proposed route.
Currently, Jagson Airlines has been operating three flights a week to Kangra from Delhi.
The town of Dharamsala in the Kangra valley is home to the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and his followers. The hill town is around 40 km from the airport and is one of the most sought after destinations by high-end tourists, especially foreigners.
