Flight ops from Dehradun to Ayodhya, Varanasi and Amritsar will start tomorrow. (Representational)
The central government has approved the flight operations from Dehradun to three major cities of the country - Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, Varanasi and Punjab's Amritsar, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said today.
The chief minister further said that all three services will be launched on March 6, Wednesday.
Chief Minister Dhami expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia for the approval of all three services.
According to the chief minister's office, on the inauguration day, a plane will take off from Dehradun for Ayodhya at 9:40 am and reach Ayodhya at 11:30 am.
"On the same day, a flight will take off from Ayodhya at 12:15 pm and reach Dehradun at 1:55 pm," it added.
Another flight will take off from Amritsar at noon and reach Dehradun at 01:10 pm.
"Similarly, the flight from Dehradun will take off for Amritsar at 1:35 pm and will reach Amritsar at 2: 45 pm," the CMO added.
Air service to Varanasi via Pantnagar is also starting on March 6.
"The passenger plane will take off from Dehradun for Pantnagar at 9:50 am and reach Pantnagar at 10:35 am. Similarly, a flight will take off from Pantnagar to Varanasi at 11:15 am and land in Varanasi at 1 pm. The flight from Varanasi will take off for Pantnagar at 1.40 pm and reach Pantnagar at 3:25 pm. The flight will take off from Pantnagar at 3:50 pm and reach Dehradun at 4:35 pm," the CMO said.
According to the CM's office, Dhami had been trying for a long time to start air services for all three places.
"Before the Pran Pratishtah ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, the CM had personally requested and written a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia," it said.
Dehradun Airport is a medium-sized airport in India with domestic flights only. On the other hand, Ayodhya recently got its first airport, which has been named Maharishi Valmiki International Airport. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the airport on December 30 last year.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)