Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Friday flagged off the first commercial flight from Hindon airport here to Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand.
"This flight will connect not only just Pitoragarh but will connect Almora, Champavat and Bagheshwar areas as well. It will save people's time and money," Rawat told media persons.
"This is also important for Pithoragarh being a marginal district and is also important from a strategic point of view," added Rawat.
"Uttarakhand is a disaster-prone state. Many times due to severe conditions, patients are referred to higher centre and air services in the mountainous areas are very important to maintain connectivity. It will also boost tourism. Travelers going to Kailash Mansarovar will also benefit from this air service," he added.
Rohit Mathur, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Heritage Aviation company, while speaking to said: "Generally it takes 17 to 18 hours to reach Pithoragarh but now will take just an hour by flight."
"The fare will be Rs 2,270 per person for Pithoragarh from Hindon. It is a nine-seater plane. On Thursday this flight will not operate. We will try to increase the trips in the coming days. We are also working to open Hindon to Shimla route by the end of this year," said Mathur.
"I am very excited to fly on a plane, which is only eight or nine-seater. It gives the feel of a private jet. By road, it used to take around 12 hours but now I can reach in just an hour or so," Gunjan, a passenger, told .
Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways VK Singh, Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt, MP Almora Ajay Tamta and Minister of State, Uttar Pradesh, Atul Garg were also present on the occasion.
( With inputs from ANI )