2 months after Ayodhya, Hisar gets flight to Chandigarh
Mohali/Hisar: Just two months after the launch of a Hisar-Ayodhya flight, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday flagged off a flight from the town's Maharaja Agrasen Airport to Chandigarh, marking a new chapter in regional air connectivity.
The return flight of the 48-seater ATR-42 aircraft from Hisar to Chandigarh had 100% occupancy, with Saini and other state ministers as passengers, said an official. Saini announced that air connectivity from Hisar would soon be expanded to Jaipur, Jammu, and Ahmedabad in a phased manner. Earlier, the inaugural flight departed from Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, with 27 passengers on board (57% occupancy).
The service, operated by Alliance Air, will connect the two cities every Monday and Friday. The flight departs from Chandigarh at 3.20pm and arrives in Hisar by 4.30pm. After a 25-minute halt, it departs from Hisar at 4.55pm and reaches Chandigarh by 5.55pm.
To commemorate the occasion, a ceremonial water cannon salute was accorded to the aircraft both during its departure from Chandigarh and its arrival in Hisar—a tradition in aviation to honour inaugural and special flights.
The fare for the Chandigarh–Hisar route is being advertised at Rs 1,979, while the return fare is listed at Rs 1,724.
The launch is part of a broader effort to improve regional air connectivity under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, aiming to make air travel more accessible to smaller cities across the country.
In Hisar, Saini said the first flight from Hisar to Ayodhya was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar.
"Today, the second major milestone has been achieved with the start of air service to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Airport in Chandigarh," he added.
Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) CEO Ajay Kumar called it a "proud moment". "The initiative not only enhances regional connectivity but also strengthens air transport infrastructure across north India," he added. "We are confident that the service will gain further momentum in coming days."
Air taxi failed
An earlier attempt to connect Chandigarh and Hisar by air failed to attract passengers as amn air taxi facility was inaugurated in Jan 2021 amid much fanfare by the then Haryana chef Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar. The air taxi company had ordered four-seater airplanes. Besides the pilot, three passengers were to travel in the airplane. Launched under the
UDAN scheme
, it allowed tourists to fly Hisar-Chandigarh-Hisar route for just Rs 1,674 in 45 minutes. The service did could not attract passengers as the flight was also was put in loop with Dehradun.
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