Air Deccan sets up base in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, Nov 2: As part of its plans and to enhance connectivity between non-metros, the Air Deccan today announced setting up its eighth base in Ahmedabad.

''It will be a fully deployed base with engineering and operational support for the airline,'' said Mr R Krishnaswamy, its Chief Corporate Planning at a meet here.

Apart from more flights to Mumbai and Delhi from here, the airlines will also operate daily flights to Coimbatore, Bangalore and Goa, he said.

It will be the second airline after Spicejet to have a base here, said Airport Director S D Awasthi. He said a team of senior officials from Indian had also visited Ahmedabad to look into the possibilities of setting up a sub-base here.

Mr Awasthi said developing non-metro airports should be taken up in a big way to ease traffic at already congested airports in metro cities. Parking charges in the non-metro airports can be almost half of what is charged in the metros, he added.

About Ahmedabad airport's development plans, he said a Rs 291 crore International Airport project is already underway. A new domestic departure terminal has been constructed at a cost of Rs 45 crore and the arrival one will come up soon at cost of Rs 56 crore.

Talking about Air Deccan's expansion plans, Mr Krishnaswamy said the airlines will soon commence cargo operations. ''There's a huge potential for cargo. We are working out the modalities,'' he said.

He also said it will also go international, soon after it acquires the mandatory five-year experience in the domestic sector.

He said there has been a 30 per cent growth in the airline industry and Air Deccan too has grown with it. It plies 306 flights a day, connecting 60 airports and has flown 3 million passengers in the first half of the year, already, he claimed.

Admitting that the airline had made losses to the tune of Rs 3.40 crore, he said however the slide has come down to Rs 45 crore in the second quarter this year.

UNI