Air Connectivity To Shimla Will Resume Today After 4 Years

Tag : India, Himachal Pradesh, Shimla, Chandigarh, Kullu

9^th June – In a move that will help tourism boost in the capital of Himachal, Shimla will get back air connectivity from today after nearly 4 years of suspension. A private 9 seater carrier will commute daily between Chandigarh and Kullu, Chandigarh and Shimla, Shimla and Gaggal, Gaggal and Shimla and Shimla and Chandigarh.

A Himachal Government spokesperson said "The IIC Technologies Ltd will commence its passenger service (Air Himalayas) between Shimla, Kullu, Chandigarh and Dharamsala from June 9," 4 years back, air connectivity to Shimla was suspended in September 2012 as carriers claimed that the service was economically unviable. State urban development minister Sudhir Sharma will resume the service by flagging off a flight from Jubbar Hatti airport near Shimla. Sharma said only small aircraft would fly from the airport. “This will provide good air connectivity to the state besides boosting tourism activities,” Sharma said. Airports authority of India has spent over Rs 30 crore to maintain the airport in the interregnum.

The schedule declared is as follows-

Shimla-Chandigarh - at 2.20pm and Chandigarh-Shimla - 10.50am

Shimla-Gaggal - 11.30am and Gaggal-Shimla - 1pm daily

The airline will also have Chandigarh-Kullu flight at 8.50am and the Kullu-Chandigarh flight at 9.50am. A Manali-based orchardist Budhi Prakash Thakur who owns ‘Air Himalaya’ is collaborating with Hyderabad-based technology firm (IIC Technologies Ltd) to run daily operations. The airline is already providing charter flights from Chandigarh to Kullu.

Some issues which were pointed by The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been claimed to be solved by Shimla Airport authority with the help of Local administrator. In 2012, flights from the airport were suspended in the wake of soil erosion, leading to runway shrinkage from 4,100 feet to 3,800 feet.

Source – Hindustan Times and Economic Times.

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