Four UDAN flight services in Gujurat stopped due to unviability

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Gandhinagar: Four flight services, out of the total 19 launched in Gujarat under the Centre’s UDAN Scheme in the last two years, were stopped due to lack of economic viability, the state government told the Legislative Assembly on March 26.

State Civil Aviation Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama gave this information in a written reply to the House.

A total of 19 services were launched in the state till December 31, 2020. Out of them, four were stopped because the company operating them did not find them viable, he said.

Flight services connecting Ahmedabad to Jamnagar, Diu, Mundra, and Bhavnagar were stopped as the company operating them was forced to do so as they were not economically viable, he added.

Out of 19 services started in the last two years, a majority were connecting Ahmedabad to different destinations such as Porbandar, Nashik, Jalgaon, Udaipur, Kishangadh, Belgaum, Kandla, and Jaisalmer.

Some other flight services connected Porbandar and Kandla to Mumbai, Jaisalmer, Belgaum, and Kishangarh to Surat, as well as as sea-plane service between the Statue of Unity in Kevadia and Sabarmati Riverfront.

The minister also told the state Assembly that a plane service under the UDAN scheme connecting Surat to the Statue of Unity is also planned and an airline company has been roped in for the purpose.

Chudasama further said that a helicopter service was also launched at the Statue of Unity on a trial basis, and a total 2,286 tourists took advantage of the service.