In a first in India, Haryana launches Air Taxi services; Check out the routes

Chandigarh, Jan 14: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated air taxi services from Chandigarh to Hisar from Chandigarh Airport under UDAN scheme of the central government.

"For the first time in the country, a small aircraft in the form of an air taxi is being used for services," Khattar said.

The launch of the flight operations under UDAN RCS is in sync with the government's objective to provide air connectivity with metros to the Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities of the country.

The second phase services for Hisar to Dehradun will be started on January 18.
On January 23, in the third phase, two more routes from Chandigarh to Dehradun and Hisar to Dharamshala will be added.

What is an air taxi service?

An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft which makes short flights on demand. In 2001, air taxi operations were promoted in the United States by a NASA and aerospace industry study on the potential Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) and the rise of light-jet aircraft manufacturing.

According to the reports, the carrier will use the small twin-engine Tecnam P2006Ts for its operations, which seats three passengers and one pilot. However, the plane comes with a host of benefits.

Its 760kg empty weight makes it one of the lightest twin-engine planes in the world. This design allows the aircraft to fly on Avgas or even standard 92 octane petroleum, instead of the expensive ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel).

With a range of 742 nautical miles, this aircraft can comfortably reach its short-haul, regional destinations.

The company Air Taxi India also plans to include Shimla, Kullu and other Haryana routes.
The service will primarily be run by Air Taxi India which got the Scheduled Commuter Airline Permit from aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in December.

The airline has a total of 26 routes in regional connectivity scheme (RCS) UDAN.
More than 300 routes have been operationalised under the UDAN scheme, and the flag off marks the inauguration of the 303rd route under the ambit of the scheme.