The Gujarat Government on Friday launched the first intra-state flight connecting Ahmedabad and Porbandar in Saurashtra.
Saurabh Patel, Finance Minister, Government of Gujarat, who also holds the portfolio of civil aviation, flagged off the first flight of the Maritime Energy Heli Air Services (Mehair) on January 2 from Ahmedabad airport here.
The launch is rightly timed around the two international events being lined up in the next two weeks in the State, Pravasi Bhartiya Divas during January 8 and 9, and Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit during January 11-13.
The first inaugural intra-state flight of Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Aircraft with a capacity to carry nine passangers and two pilots took off from Ahmedabad this morning and headed to Porbandar. The fare is priced at an introductory offer of Rs 4,999. The flights will run 3-4 times in a day during weekdays between Ahmedabad, Porbandar, Bhuj and Jamnagar.
The operator Mehair will initially run a single aircraft, which it plans to expand by adding more aircraft to its fleet in a phased manner.
"After Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat is the only other State in India to have its own intra-state regional air connectivity. It was a dream of Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have intra-state flight services in Gujarat. Through the services, we will connect the two big airports in the state with other smaller airports," Patel informed media at the time of launch.
In November, the State Government had allotted a letter of intent to the company, Mehair.
On the launch, Lakshmanan CL, co-founder of Mehair said, "The public will find the service extremely useful and exciting and the service will become a vital cog in the tourism initiative of Gujarat. This will help people to finish business in a distant city within the state and still make it home in time to their home city the same day."
He further mentioned that the company plans to clock minimum 100 hours per month even as it eyes break-even at 120 hours.
As part of the contract, the Government of Gujarat will provide a subsidy to the service on the various flights operating across the State.
The move is aimed at further encouraging travel and tourism in Gujarat. In the first phase, the cities of Ahmedabad, Bhuj, Porbandar and Jamnagar will be connected, whie in the second phase, flights will be introduced between Ahmedabad, Surat, Bhavnagar, Dwarka, Keshod, Rajkot and Mandvi, among other places.
"We want to connect major industrial areas as well as religious places. Tourists from outside Gujarat will also be able to save time and will lead to faster economic growth for the state," Patel added.
According to company officials, Mehair has received Rs 23 lakh or 20 per cent as subsidy from the Gujarat Government on clocking of minimum 100 hours, while the rest will be borne by the company.