The Hindu : Front Page : Air Deccan develops cold feet

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Wednesday, Dec 27, 2006
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Air Deccan develops cold feet

R. Ilangovan

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SALEM: Air Deccan, which was reported to be keen to connect Salem till recently, seems to be reluctant now.

Lack of enthusiasm in the locals to fly has dampened the interests of airlines. Consequently, it does not seem to be a `win-win situation' for both passengers and the flight operators. As a result, there is some reluctance to operate flights from Salem.

While `Air Deccan' wants an "underwriting commitment" for traffic viability from the industry and the trade community, citizens claim that the airline is yet to submit a viable package of its operations that include destinations, timings and fare structure. So, the momentum, which has been gained after a prolonged lobbying for the resumption of flight services to Salem, has suffered a setback. In fact, everything looked rosy till a few months ago when the Joint Inspection Committee of the Airport Authority of India (AAI), comprising officials from the Regional Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, the Directorate of Civil Aviation and the AAI and accompanied by an officer from Air Deccan inspected the airport to ascertain the feasibility of reviving domestic operations. Sources say that the airport has been cleared for it.

But that initiative seems to have lost steam. The Regional Manager, South (Marketing), Air Deccan, R. Balaji, told The Hindu that the airline was still `keen to fly' from Salem . "But we need solid commitment from the trade and industry community of Salem, Namakkal and Dharmapuri districts, to ensure us a minimum of 25 tickets both ways," he says.

He, however, concedes that the feasibility of operating thrice a week services could be studied. Mr. S. S. Yuvaraj, Secretary, Association of Garment Exporters, says that a day's flight to Chennai connecting either Mumbai or New Delhi from Salem could bring adequate patronage.

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