J&K skies attract aviation players
S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service
Jammu, November 18
As tourism picks up in the Kashmir valley, skies of Jammu is getting packed with new flights being introduced by different airline operators.
While four players are already in the field, Air Sahara is scheduled to introduce two daily flights from here to Delhi and Srinagar on November 24.
The Civil Aviation Department has shelved the request of two other airlines to operate flights from here.
As many as seven flights of the Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Air Deccan and Spice Jet are already operating from here every day. Two more flights of Air Sahara would be added next week.
The Jammu-based Director of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Mr Chandramouli, told this correspondent here today said that the airport is heading towards exhaustion of infrastructure facilities in view of more and more flights being introduced here.
He said congestion could develop in case any airline deviated from the time schedule. The airport parking bay has the capacity to handle only three aircraft at a time.
He says that there is an immediate need to develop the airport further.
Aviation experts feel with most of the wide-body aircraft operating from here, the waiting space for passengers in the airport is insufficient. The rush would further increase as Air Sahara would operate daily connecting flights for Singapore, Colombo, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow and Chennai from next week.
New airlines that have now started operating from here have waged a fare war against the old timers offer cheap tickets. Air Deccan, which is the only one to fly between here and Chandigarh, has offered the fare as low as Rs 1,200 per ticket. This is cheaper than driving your own car all the way to Chandigarh. The fare is cheaper in case the seat is booked earlier.
With multinationals having made Chandigarh the base of their activity in the North, the flight between here and Chandigarh has become viable because of the volume. The Indian Airlines had to cancel its operations on this circuit a few years ago because of losses.
Newly introduced Spicejet is charging Rs 2,020 per passenger between here and Srinagar, whereas the Jet Airways and Indian Airlines are charging Rs 2,985 and Rs 2,880, respectively.
One can travel to Delhi in Air Deccan by paying Rs.3,800 against Rs 6,464 fare of Indian Airlines and Jet Airways. Air Sahara has offered an introductory fare of Rs 1,500 per passenger to Delhi.
Capt Anil Gaur (retd), a leading travel organiser, says with new flights being introduced, the benefit of low cost airlines is now available to the travellers.
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