Delhi's Second Airport Finally Launches Its First Flight

No longer will Indira Gandhi International Airport face high air traffic, thanks to Hindon Civil Airport near Ghaziabad. Inaugurated seven months ago by Prime Minister Modi, Delhi’s second airport will finally launch its first commercial flight on October 11, 2019. The Air Heritage operated nine-seater plane will take off from Ghaziabad to Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand. 

The 60-minute flights will operate 6 days a week, barring Thursdays. Return flights have been scheduled for 11:30 am. According to a report by ANI, 55 policemen with special training have been deployed at the airport to ensure no inconvenience is faced by the passengers on board, said District Collector Ajay Shankar Pandey. 

Sharing details about this launch, CEO of Heritage Aviation Rohit Mathur said “A 9-seater aircraft will take the first flight to Pithoragarh from the Hindon airport on October 11. The fare for the flight has been kept at Rs 2,500.”

According to ANI, the private airlines also intend to schedule flights to Hubli, Shimla, Dehradun and other popular destinations post the success of this initial launch, added Mathur.

While Hindon airport belongs to the Indian Air Force, the Airport Authority of India has been given permission to build a civilian base under regional air connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik). The scheme intends to make flying more affordable and connect unserved airports. The airport seeks to cut air traffic at Indira Gandhi International Airport.