Resume flights from Shimla: Mankotia
Tribune News Service
Shimla, October 5
Vice Chairman of State Tourism Development Board Vijai Singh Mankotia has written to Air India to explore the possibility of resuming flights from Shimla at the earliest as all the necessary repair work has been completed.
Mankotia, in a letter to Ashwani Lohani, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India Limited, said he was hopeful that the process of starting flights from Jubbarhatti airport near here would resume at the earliest.
“The Shimla Airport, which has been non-operational for the last three years (September 2012) because of the damage caused by heavy rains to the airstrip, has now been cleared for operations. As stressed by me, it is imperative for the capital of Himachal Pradesh, to be connected with the rest of the country through daily flights from Delhi,” he wrote.
Mankotia pointed out that earlier when Kingfisher Airlines was operating on this sector they would fly at times, three to four flights during the peak holiday season. “Considering the volume of passenger air traffic available and ready to utilize air services to Kullu-Manali and Dharamshala besides Shimla, I do hope you will add-on to the existing Air India flights operating to this beautiful town,” he wrote. He further stressed that the only limitation and handicap faced by Himachal in achieving its full tourism potential was its poor connectivity. This, he said, was a major deterrence for influx of high-end tourists who are not too inclined to travel by road.
