Delhi-Pathankot flight inaugurated

Fifty-six new airports will become functional in the next few years, boosting logistics efficiency in India, Minister for Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu said at the opening of Global Logistics Summit in New Delhi on 5 April 2018.

The Minister said bringing all the stakeholders together it will create the right platform to improve logistics and connectivity which are vital for increasing intra-state and international trade flows.

Indian logistics industry is estimated at around US$215 billion in 2019-20, growing at over 10% annually.

In the last decade or so, significant improvements in Railways, Roads, Highways, Inland Waterways, Aviation, Ports and Coastal Shipping have taken place.

India has improved its ranking in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index from 54 in 2014 to 35 in 2016.

To keep up with the growth in demand for logistics services, it is important to develop a consistent approach to logistics across infrastructure, services and different modes of transportation.

To support awareness building and develop better understanding on these issues, the Department of Commerce at Commerce and Industry Ministry, in partnership with FICCI and the World Bank Group, has held the Summit on 5 and 6 April 2018.

Meanwhile, Suresh Prabhu inaugurates maiden flight to Pathankot from Terminal 3, IGI Airport in New Delhi here yesterday.

With this, Pathankot now gets operationalized as the 21st Airport under UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik or every citizen flies) – RCS (Regional Connectivity Scheme). Airports Authority of India (AAI) is the implementing agency of UDAN.

Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India, commenced operations on the Delhi-Pathankot route with ATR aircraft.

The flight from Delhi to Pathankot will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, departing Delhi at 0955 Hrs. and arriving at Pathankot at 1130 Hrs.

On its return from Pathankot, the flight will depart at 1150 Hrs. and arrive at Delhi at 1335 Hrs. With the introduction of this flight the travel time between the two cities will reduce significantly.

This will be the 19th route operated by Alliance Air under UDAN.

The Scheme was launched on 27th April 2017, starting with on the Shimla – Delhi route.

Alliance Air has been a front-runner in regional connectivity and presently operates a network of 49 stations.

Alliance Air continues to focus on new routes to connect regional destinations.

The airline has been awarded 18 new routes under UDAN-II, which are being launched progressively this year bringing new destinations on India’s air map.

Through its code-share with Air India, Alliance Air not only provides regional connectivity within the country but also offers seamless connectivity to regional passengers on Air India’s network in India and abroad. fii-news.com