Doon-Pantnagar flight from Feb

Neena Sharma

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 20

The Centre’s Udan scheme will finally become a reality in Uttarakhand with Air Deccan starting services in February between Dehradun and Pantnagar with an 18 seater aircraft.

With the start of the service, the common man will fly on subsidised rates and tourists keen on visiting the hilly terrain too will be able to travel in less time to far-flung places.

“We will start the services in the last week of February and the DGCA has already given its approval,” said TS Rawat, Chief Minister, Uttarakhand.

An air fuel station (AFS) will also be established at Pantnagar. Further, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) also has to install the Instrument Landing System (ILS) which will allow night landing and landing in low visibility conditions.

The government is already a signatory to the centres Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS-UDAN) under which in the selected airports for 10 years, VATon the ATF will be charged at 1 per cent. Further, the state will provide essential services such as water and power at nominal rates at the airstrips/helipads etc. The state will bear 20 per cent of the cost for running the scheme as agreed upon in the MOU signed with the Centre in 2016.