Tamil Nadu's maiden UDAN flight takes off from Salem
Almost seven years later, flight services between Salem and Chennai were resumed on Sunday under the Centre's regional connectivity scheme 'UDAN.' Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan flagged off the first service, operated by private carrier Trujet, between the two cities. The flight has a seating capacity of 72 passengers and its tickets are priced at Rs. 1,499.
The flight will leave Salem at 11 am and reach Chennai at 11.50 AM. From Chennai, it will depart at 9.50 AM to reach Salem at 10.40 AM. CM Palaniswami said today's launch was the first in the state under the UDAN scheme and said it will benefit the neighboring Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts and also aid in industrial development.
CM Palaniswami recalled the sops offered by the state government under the UDAN scheme, including a proposal to provide a 20 percent viability gap funding. The government had earlier reduced VAT on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) for flights under this regional connectivity scheme, he said. Vellore and Thanjavur were next in line to be covered under the UDAN scheme in the state.
Stating that the state government will take steps for the expansion of the Kamalapuram Airport in the outskirts of Salem, Palaniswami said the land acquisition process is underway across Tamil Nadu for expansion of airports. He also announced that a green corridor between Salem and Chennai will soon commence at a cost of Rs. 10,000 crore, which would help reduce the travel time.
