India's first air taxi service launched in Chandigarh

Opening a new chapter in air connectivity in India, the country's first air taxi service was launched from Chandigarh, the capital of Haryana and Punjab states. The inaugural flight of the air taxi service operated by the Air Taxi Aviation Company took off from Chandigarh for Hisar in Haryana the other day. The 45-minute journey in this sector will cost a minimum of Rs 1,755 and the tickets could be booked online.

The company authorities noted that flights would be operated once in a day at the scheduled time on the route even if there is only one passenger. Moreover, the plane would be available for private use too, they added. The twin engine Tecnam P2006T light aircraft, which is used to operate the service, has four seats, including one for the pilot, and the company is aiming to buy four such aircraft to carry out the air taxi service.

Plans are anvil to kick start the taxi flight service between Hisar and Dehradun in Uttarakhand from January 23. The company is also eyeing to include Shimla, Kullu and more Haryana routes in the immediate future.

The Air Taxi Aviation Company launched the air taxi service after acquiring the requisite Scheduled Commuter Airline Permit from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The company has got the nod to operate flight services on 26 routes under the central government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme - Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN), which aims to connect tier-2 and tier-3 cities with metro cities. The Center will also provide subsidies to airline companies coming under the UDAN project after considering the passenger load on flights.