Air Taxi India names first three UDAN routes

Having secured its Air Operators Permit (AOP) in December, Air Taxi (India) (Delhi Int’l) has revealed the first three of its planned 26 subsidised UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) routes, initially basing its first three-seater Tecnam P2006T twin-piston aircraft at Hisar Airport. It will connect Hisar (which lies 165 kilometres northwest of Delhi Int’l) to Chandigarh, Dehra Dun, and Dharamsala, co-founder Varun Suhag told the newspaper Dainik Jagran. Hisar-Chandigarh will be a 50-minute journey and will be priced at INR1,700 rupees (USD23), Hisar-Dehra Dun will take two hours with fares at INR2,500 (USD34), and Hisar-Dharamsala will take 90 minutes and will also cost INR2,500. A maiden flight to take place on Makar Sankranti, a festival day in the Hindu calendar set for January 14, is reportedly being considered. At the time of going to press, however, the carrier’s website flyairtaxi.in, complete with booking platform, had yet to be launched. Suhag, who said he obtained his pilot training in Florida, and co-founder Poonam Gaur claim to have invested INR100 million (USD1.36 million) in the start-up.