Flight services to resume from Salem on October 16

COIMBATORE: After a long wait, flight services from Salem airport under the Udan 5.0 scheme will take off from October 16.

The Alliance Air has come forward to operate from Bangalore -Salem-Cochin and back to Salem and Bangalore on all days except Wednesday and Friday from Monday.

Indigo Airlines will start to operate from Bangalore-Salem-Hyderabad and back on the same route from October 29. It will be operated four days a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Also, on the same day, Indigo Airlines is set to kick start air services from Salem to Chennai on all days of the week. The Salem airport has been lying idle after a solo flight service, which was operated by a private carrier between Salem and Chennai under the Udan 1 Scheme from March 25, 2018, flew last on June 2, 2021.

The State’s first flight service operated under Udan 1 was grounded during the COVID-19 pandemic and then stopped permanently. Only Salem was listed under Udan 5.0 scheme in Tamil Nadu. After Salem surfaced under Udan 5.0 scheme, the Airports

Authority of India (AAI) took up the task of impressing several airlines to operate flights from Salem airport.

The need for flight service to these new destinations has been a long-time demand among air passengers and the business class community. Addressing the media to inform of the new flight services on Wednesday, Salem Member of Parliament SR Parthiban said all arrangements are in place as flight services are resuming after two years from Salem airport.

“Development works have been taken up in the airport to facilitate night services and as well as operate international flights by February next year,” the MP said.

G Ramesh, Director of Salem Airport said that passenger bookings for all the services from Salem airport have begun and expressed hope of receiving good patronage among people.