In India’s Plan To Revive ‘Ghost Airports’, Rs. 2,500-Per-Hour

Several regional airports in India lie deserted in want of travellers and affordable ticket prices.

Last month, operations came to a
grinding halt at the Durgapur airport in West Bengal after leading to a
bitter face-off between the Centre and the state government. Air India,
the only airline which operated to it, had discontinued flights saying
nobody was buying tickets.


Durgapur was just the latest in a long list of unused airports and airstrips across the country - a total of 394 in all.


The government now hopes to change this with its new regional connectivity plan.

Under
this scheme funded by a Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF), where states
are to contribute 20 per cent and the Centre 80 per cent, fares will be
capped at Rs. 2,500 for one hour of flying time.


“Thirty-five crore middle class families will be connected in the future
with this scheme,” said Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Dr Mahesh
Sharma.


The Centre will give concessions on excise duty on value-added tax, service tax, even encouraging code sharing.


The airline operator will have to fly a minimum of three and maximum of
seven flights per week for which they will be compensated through a
viability gap fund or VGF.