(a) whether the Union Government has commissioned Salem airport for services by smaller aircrafts; and
(b) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard?
(a) whether the Union Government has commissioned Salem airport for services by smaller aircrafts; and
(b) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard?
The Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION
(Shri Jayant Sinha)
(a) & (b): Yes, Madam. The Salem airport is an operational airport with runway dimension of 1829m x 45m suitable for ATR-72 type of aircraft operations. Presently, only non-scheduled flights are operating from the airport. Further, flight operations in domestic sector have been deregulated and the airlines are free to operate anywhere in the country subject to Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG) issued by the Government. It is upto the airline operators to provide air services to specific places depending upon the traffic demand and commercial viability. However, Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched Regional Connectivity Scheme [Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN)] in October, 2016 with the objective to facilitate / stimulate regional air connectivity to currently underserved and unserved airports.