Dalai Lama graces Air Deccan's Delhi-Kangra inaugural flight

New Delhi, Mar 28 (UNI) Bang on the eve of tourist season in Himachal Pradesh, low- cost airline Air Deccan today began its Delhi-Kangra flight via Pathankot, after good response to the Delhi-Pathankot link two months back and Delhi-Kullu connection six months back.

Even as his Holiness the Dalai Lama graced the inaugural flight from Delhi to Kangra, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel inaugurated the new terminal building, technical-cum-control tower and fire station at the Kangra airport.

While commercial operations on the route would begin on April 6 through the 48-seater ATR-42 aircraft, the one hour flight would be seven -days a week, said Air Deccan Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) G R Gopinath.

''Our next flight, to connect historically and culturally important small towns to big cities, would be on April 15 between Delhi and Shimla.'' The idea is to bring regular connectivity, through small aircraft with 45-50 seat capacity, on a low-cost basis that would make travel easier and frequent on the route. This would in turn help in the growth of the area, both economically and development wise, he told reporters.

On acquiring more aircraft he said 12 more would be inducted soon, of which six would be airbuses and added that ''we wish to retain the 'affordable airline' tag and for this such steps were important.'' UNI