Shimla, Nov 9:
Flights to and from Himachal Pradesh have been
suspended for over a month now, and this has started impacting tourism, a major
source of income for the hill state, officials said here on Friday.
State tourism and civil aviation officials said
Kingfisher was the only airline that operated regular flights between Delhi and
the State. However, it discontinued operations in the State before it was
grounded in October.
All the three airports in Himachal — Jabbarhatti
near Shimla, Gaggal near Kangra and Bhuntar near Kullu — have been shut since
September, and if authorities failed to open them before Christmas and New
Year’s eve, the tourism sector would be severely hit, said members of the
hospitality sector.
“Closure of the Shimla airport has started
affecting the hotel industry. The flights should be restored ahead of the
Christmas season, otherwise we will lose tourists to Srinagar,” D.P. Bhatia of
Clarke’s Hotel here said.
Former Union Minister and five-time Chief
Minister Virbhadra Singh met Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ajit Singh in
New Delhi on Thursday and apprised him about the problems the State was facing
after the closure of the airports.
“Virbhadra Singh urged the Minister to introduce
Air India flights at all the three airports in Himachal. And if it is not in a
position to operate the flights, some private airline be roped in,” a statement
quoting Virbhadra Singh said.
He also urged the Civil Aviation Minister to
explore the possibility of expanding the length of the airstrip at the
Jabbarhatti airport to facilitate landing of bigger aircrafts.
State Tourism and Civil Aviation Director Arun
Sharma said the department was also trying to convince private operators to
start services.
Government officials said that landing aircrafts
at the Shimla airport was a challenge, as it was one of the three table-top
airports in the country. It is called table-top because of the deep gorges
surrounding the runway.
“Although several safety measures have been
adopted at the Shimla and Kullu airports, the night landing facility should be
further strengthened,” an airport official said.
The State Government plans to develop a
world-class airport in the State to give a boost to the tourism industry. Sharma
said land had been identified in Solan and Hamirpur districts, but a final
decision was yet to be taken.
The annual tourist arrival in Himachal Pradesh
crossed 1.5 crore (15 million) in 2011.
The number of foreign tourists visiting the
state has more than doubled from a little over 200,000 in 2005 to nearly half a
million in 2011.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-others/tp-states/with-kingfisher-airlines-grounded-himachal-tourism-sector-takes-a-hit/article4082507.ece
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