Modi flags off Shimla-Delhi flight

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 27

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today pleaded for making air travel affordable for common man and said the impressions that airlines were meant only for the use of “Rajas and Maharajas” must be removed. “Air travel should be affordable and even common man, known as ‘Hawai chappal wale log’ should be able to travel by plane,” he said, while launching the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme.

The Prime Minister, who flagged off a Shimla-Delhi flight, and also the flights on Kadapa-Hyderabad and the Nanded-Hyderabad sectors through video conferencing, said earlier even the “logo” of Air-India carried a picture of “Maharaja”. He took up the matter with Rajiv Pratap Rudy, then Civil Aviation Minister in the Vajpayee government and cartoonist Laxman’s common man was added.

There was no aviation in the country during the past 70 years and the new policy, formulated by the government, was focused on full utilisation of airports which were not in use and effort was being made to increase the number of commercial airports from 70 to 100 during this year.

The subsidised airfare under UDAN had been capped at Rs 2,500 which was less than the fare charged by taxis, he added.

He said a large number of airstrips, constructed during the World War, were lying idle as there was no policy and the government had decided to upgrade these unserved airports and make these operational. Advising aviation companies to develop Nanded- Amritsar-Patna air circuit, Modi said it would be good a commercial proposition as Sikhs from all over the world would travel on this circuit to visit shrines.