NEW DELHI: Air travellers will now have more options to enjoy cheaper flights, as Jet Airways has offered fares starting as low as rs 967 for the Udan flights, which it plans to operate from May.
The airline has announced the commencement of its operations under the government’s regional connectivity scheme, Udan (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik), from June 14 onwards, with the first flight to be operated on the Lucknow-Allahabad-Patna sector.
Jet Airways had bagged four routes in the second round of bidding in January, where a total of 325 routes were awarded to various operators. Besides Lucknow-Allahabad-Patna, Jet Airways will operate its Udan flights on New Delhi-Nashik, Nagpur-Allahabad-Indore and Lucknow-Bareilly-Delhi routes.
The fares for the Lucknow-Allahabad-Patna flight under the Udan scheme will be `967, while the flights on the Patna-Allahabad-Patna route will cost `1,216. Similarly, the ticket price for a trip on the Nagpur-Allahabad-Nagpur route has been pegged at `1,690, while the Indore-Allahabad-Indore flight will cost `1,914, a release said. Fare for a Delhi-Nashik-Delhi flight will be `2,665.
At least half of the seats in the Udan flights are offered at subsidised rates. The participating carriers get a certain amount of Viability Gap Funding that is shared between the Centre and the particular state. To fund the scheme, the Civil Aviation Ministry is collecting a levy of `5,000 per departure from airlines operating in major routes including Mumbai and Delhi.The Centre had, in March 2017, awarded 128 regional routes to five airlines for launching flights under the Udan scheme, aiming to boosting air connectivity to the hinterland.
Minimum Fares
■ D967
Lucknow-Allahabad-Patna
■ D1,216
Patna-Allahabad-Patna
■ D1,690
Nagpur-Allahabad-Nagpur
■ D2,665
Delhi-Nashik-Delhi