PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry government has approached Indigo to operate flights from Puducherry Airport on six routes, while Spice Jet is expected to resume flight operation from Pongal on existing routes. Flight operations were stopped following the outbreak of the Covid pandemic.
Puducherry PWD Minister K Lakshminarayanan who holds the Tourism and Civil aviation portfolio who along with Puducherry Home Minister A Namassivayam held a discussion with Indigo Airline officials at Chennai told TNIE that six routes have been projected to Indigo for plying on the same conditions provided under Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN. The government has offered VAT free Aviation fuel and a Viability Gap Fund (VGF) guarantee to the operator.
The routes being Puducherry to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Kannur and Ernakulam, he said. Based on the letter sent to the operator, they have expressed interest, following which the discussions were held on Friday. Head of Indigo Chennai Jagadeeswaran, Regional Executive Director of AAI (Southern Region), Chennai R Madhavan, Puducherry Tourism Director P Priyadarshiny and other officials were present at the discussion with the ministers.
Lakshminarayanan who met Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Civil Aviation at New Delhi, said that certain documents sought by the ministry were handed over to the Ministry for the revival of flight operations. Puducherry government has also accepted to provide VGF to Spice Jet for resuming flight operations on Puducherry Bengaluru and Hyderabad routes. Spice jet has sought VGF for 15 seats on the Hyderabad route and for 10 seats on the Bengaluru route when normally VGF is provided for 39 seats under RCS, said Lakshminarayanan. A formal letter of acceptance would be sent to Spice Jet as well as to the Civil Aviation Ministry in this regard, following which they are likely to resume operation from Pongal, he said. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been occupancy of 60 to 80 seats out of 90seats of the( Bombardier) aircraft operated by spice jet on these routes, said Lakshminarayanan.
The operators could also take part in the UDAN4.0 tender when the Civil aviation ministry floats it in due course. Till then Puducherry government will offer the Airline operators the same benefits of VGF as under the UDAN scheme as well as VAT free Aviation fuel, he said.
Meanwhile, the land acquisition process for expansion of the airport runway for plying of larger aircraft has been initiated by both Tamilnadu and Puducherry governments, said Lakshminarayanan. As per the plan, the runway would be extended from its present length of 1,502 metres to 3,500 metres initially and then up to 4000 metres finally, said Lakshminarayanan. Around 57 acres of land will be acquired in Puducherry and 368 acres in Tamil Nadu, he said. The land to be acquired as well as the land ownership has been identified and notices are being sent to them for the acquisition, he said. The Ministry of Home Affairs has already assured to pay the cost of the land to the owners. To fulfil the requirements some of the buildings in the area will have to be demolished
The airport will also require a few modifications of changing the direction of the Taxiway and construction of a box culvert or a suitable construction over the storm channel that would cross the extended runway, he said