UDAN: Scindia flags off new flight connecting Bareilly-Mumbai

New Delhi: Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia along with the Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, General (Retd.) Dr VK Singh and Member of Parliament of Bareilly Santosh Gangwar flagged off the new flight connecting Bareilly with Mumbai in a virtual ceremony. Ministry of Civil Aviation's (MoCA) Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola and Joint Secretary Usha Padhee alongside other officials of the MoCA and Airports Authority of India (AAI) were also present during the flag-off event.

'Bareilly to Mumbai flight boarding'

"The commencement of the flight operations on the Bareilly – Mumbai route from today & Bareilly – Bangalore route from August 14 will not only improve transportation facilities in the region but will also open immense opportunities in tourism, education, industry and trade and commerce for the region," Jyotiraditya Scindia said speaking at the launch. "We are also increasing the frequency of operations to daily between Delhi-Bareilly from August 26. These direct flights will not only benefit the people of Bareilly but also from the neighbouring regions such as Nainital & Ranikhet also," he added.

AAI's Bareilly Airport has been upgraded for commercial flight operations under the Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) of the government. On March 8, it became the 56th airport to commence operations under the UDAN scheme, with an all-women crew flight on the Delhi-Bareilly route. Now, Mumbai is the second city connected with Bareilly with direct flights and direct connectivity of the city to Bangalore will be the third city.

8th Airport for Uttar Pradesh

Bareilly is the 8th airport of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Hindon, Agra and Prayagraj. The Trishul Military Airbase, Bareilly belongs to the Indian Air Force and the land was handed over to the AAI for construction of the interim civil aviation operations. The up-gradation was undertaken by the AAI with a cost of Rs 65 crores.

Lakhs of people visit Bareilly for the Nath Nagri (known for the four Shiva temples located in four corners of the region – Dhopeshwar Nath, Madni Nath, Alakha Nath and Trivati Nath), Ala Hazrat, Shah Sharafat Miyan and Khankahe Niyazia, Zari Nagari and historically important sites like as Sanjashya (where the Buddha descended from Tushita to earth). The city is also a centre for furniture manufacturing and cotton, cereal, and sugar trading. Apart from enhancing the aerial connectivity of Bareilly and its neighbouring regions, the flight operations will boss trade, tourism, and local economy with direct connectivity with the trade capital of the country – Mumbai in Maharashtra & technology hub of the country – Bangalore in Karnataka.

The operationalisation of this route aligns with the objectives of the Sab Uden Sab Juden initiative of the government of India that aims to strengthen the aerial connectivity of the Tier-2 & and Tier-3 cities of the country with the metros.

Flying UDAN

To date, 363 routes and 59 airports (including 5 heliports and 2 water aerodromes) have been operationalized under the UDAN scheme. The number of domestic passengers is on the rise as flying emerges as a preferred, safe & time-saving mode of transport. On August 11, a total of 1,98,495 passengers travelled on 1,798 flights. Total flight movement was 3,592 & total passenger movement was 3,95,143.

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