22 airports are ready four months after Modi government unveiled India's first civil aviation policy.
Highlights
- Government wants to connect small-towns and big cities with cheap flights
- A list of 22 drawn up, Centre is bringing states on board
- List includes Bhavnagar, Bhatinda, Gwalior, Durgapur, Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer, Agra, Gwalior or Bhatinda -- soon you can fly to any of these places at budget fares. These are among the 22 airports that can immediately start operations as per a government scheme.
Four months ago, the Narendra Modi government had unveiled India's first civil aviation policy, whose centrepiece was connecting small towns and cities with flights whose fares are capped at Rs 2,500.
Now it is ready with a list of airports that can start operations as soon as the policy comes into effect.
"We have nearly 22 airports that are ready to serve," said GP Mahapatra, chairman of the Airports Authority of India.
But for the regional connectivity scheme to succeed, state governments will have to come on board. Which is why, in the past one month, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju has been travelling from state to state to sign Memorandums of Understanding and give wings to his policy.
The list of 22 airports include places like Bhavnagar and Jamnagar in Gujarat, Agra and Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, Bhatinda and Pathankot in Punjab and four airports in the northeast.
Poor demand had forced regular airlines to withdraw service from West Bengal's Durgapur airport. Soon start-up airlines will operate cheaper flights to it.
Gwalior, another tourist destination, too has been identified for the Rs 2,500 flight scheme.