Air Deccan to op Delhi-Shimla 4 times a week

Shimla, Apr 14: India's second largest airline Air Deccan today launched first flights from Delhi to Shimla and back.

A 48-seater ATR 42-500 aircraft has been deployed to serve the route. The airline will service the sector on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The flight time is 50 minutes.

Shimla, built over several hills and connecting ridges, is aptly called queen of the hills from days of the British. The city thrives on tourism and enjoys a close economic link with Delhi.

Air Deccan already connects cities in Himachal Pradesh with regular flights from Kullu and Dharamshala to the national capital.

''The new flights will spur economic activities, encourage movement of tourists and provide a filip to pace of development in adjoining regions,'' said airline's managing director Capt G R Gopinath.

''Air Deccan has successfully created a tectonic shift towards low fare air travel. Going forward, we'll continue to offer the lowest possible fares to enable the common man to fly as often as possible.'' The budget airline operates 80 per cent of its 350 daily flights to small, non-metro cities across the country. It connects 65 airports with 19 Airbus A320s and 24 ATR turboprop aircraft. Air Deccan has a market share of 21.7 per cent in the domestic market.

UNI