As a part of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), the Aviation Ministry is Counting on Two Mega Players Air India and SpiceJet to Operate Flights on 128 Air Routes by September…
A happy news for air travelers! Now, you can easily fly to the cool hills of Shimla and Kullu from the sizzling sand dunes of Rajasthan and green plains of Delhi. 31 unreserved airports in top tourism hotspots of India will be connected via 128 new airports under Union government’s RCS. Sounds unbelievable, isn’t it? It’s true. From April to September, the center will link 128 unconnected cities in the newfound air network.
The air companies offering their flights on these routes include Spice Jet and Air India subsidiaries like Air Odhisha, Air Deccan, Alliance Air and Turbo Megha. The 31 airports involved in this scheme also include 12 under-served airports.
In the first round of this scheme, the government will add 6.5 lakh seats to regional aviation, at the cost of Rs 204 crores. But this VGF (variable gap funding) will add 2% value to Indian aviation industry—a fact reported by union aviation minister Mr. Jayant Sinha. The civil ministry states that just 76 airfields in India were connected via commercial flights. However, in next 2 years, they’ll revive total 50 airports.
The turboprops (small planes) flying on the route are expected to have 19 to 78 seats. This means the fare cap on these routes will be Rs 2,500/hour. The flight companies will draw VGF from fee levied on flights operating in the big city. This means flights connecting all big cities will see an increase in air fare by Rs 50, which sounds fair-enough for tourists.
The Indian aviation industry is positive that this change will not just attract more customers towards flights, but also enhance tourism economy of India in the coming years.
