* Air Deccan’s new flight routes connect Nashik with Mumbai and Pune, Nashik-Ahmedabad to connect in weeks’ time. MIAL TO ADJUST TIMINGS
* Airliner believes that introduction of new flights will improve connectivity of smaller cities with Major Business Hubs
Air Deccan, the first homegrown budget carrier in India which restarted its operations in Maharashtra from 29th July 2018 is now taking a leap forward to connect Nashik with Ahmedabad. The airline service provider under ‘UDAAN’ scheme (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) Air Deccan, restarted its journey in the state of Maharashtra connecting flights between cities of Pune, Nashik, Mumbai Jalgaon and Kohlapur.
Despite many infrastructural challenges that need to be addressed including creating night landing facilities at the airports apart from other necessary aircraft navigational functions and issues with slot allotment at Mumbai, Air Deccan has been firm in overcoming them and seeking solutions as they move ahead.
Mr. Shaishav Shah, Managing Director of Air Deccan & Executive Director of GSEC said, “We are in constant endeavor to overcome all the issues pertaining to delays caused in the past in the Maharashtra sector and we understand every new beginning will have the situations against it, for instance, yesterday itself we had to cancel a flight on Jalgaon route due to lack of visibility, which was majorly due to infrastructural issues. Such delay/cancellations do happen in fully equipped airports like Mumbai and Delhi, but smaller airports are still way- under process hence it is the responsibility of the airline to maintain safety measures. We feel what matter most is Air Deccan is determined and ready to put our best foot forward to overcome all the limitation and make UDAN a success story. We are happy that the relaunch of our routes in Maharashtra connecting Mumbai with Pune, Nashik, Jalgaon & Kolhapur are running smoothly and now connecting Nashik with Ahmedabad will be a major milestone that shall embark connecting two major business hubs soon under AIR DECCAN.”
“We shall be inducting more aircraft to cater the sectors and all the same time we have to make sure that current active sectors remain sustainable in long run. Despite having a mixed response so far in operating flights under the RCS scheme, we are very optimistic to adapt and evolve the concept of economical air travel amongst the user, which we as well understand will be a gradual process and it will not be fair to assume patterns and preferences change overnight”.
UDAN is to let the common citizens of the country fly by making the air travel affordable and widespread, AIR DECCAN, which resumed air operations after a gap of almost ten years in 2017, had won the rights to operate Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) flights in the first round of bidding in March the same year. It was awarded 128 routes across the country, with nine routes based out of Mumbai connecting various key cities in Maharashtra to Mumbai. In this context commencement of regional connectivity scheme in towns of Maharashtra will continue to demonstrate Air Deccan’s growth
The objective of the Regional Connectivity Scheme is to make flying affordable for the masses, promote tourism, increase employment and promote balanced regional growth. It also intends to put life into un-served and underserved airports, added Shah.
On the future plan, Mr. Shah commented Air Deccan will be operating at Delhi, Kolkata and also in the process of operating at Gujarat.
