The Hindu : National : Khajuraho back on Indian air map

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 16, 2006
ePaper

National

National

Khajuraho back on Indian air map

J. Venkatesan

PHOTO: A.M. FARUQUI

TOURISTS' PARADISE: A foreign tourist at the world heritage Khajuraho temples.

KHAJURAHO: Indian airline has brought Khajuraho on its national network from Friday by introducing a daily flight from Delhi to Khajuraho with enhanced capacity.

The A-320 Airbus flight will touch Khajuraho and proceed to Varanasi and offer a capacity of over 1,000 seats a week to enable more tourists to visit Khajuraho and enjoy the breathtaking splendour in stone in its 22 temples, now declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Talking to a group of visiting journalists from Delhi on Friday, the Regional Director of Indian, Manjira Khurana, said that smaller aircraft covered Khajuraho earlier thrice a week but the service was discontinued. "Now," she added, "we are here to stay."

She said the important role played by Indian in the development of Khajuraho as a tourist destination could not be underestimated. In fact, it was largely due to the connectivity provided by Indian (Airlines) that the town woke up to the importance of its ancient treasure.

She said that the holy city of Varanasi was yet another destination that was much sought after by tourists, including overseas tourists. The new flight would be in addition to the A-320 flight linking Varanasi to both Delhi and Mumbai at present. A press release said that the airline would soon be expanding its fleet with 43 brand new Airbus aircraft and the new fleet would have audio-visual in-flight entertainment system, including a personal monitor on every seatback in economy class and armrest screen in executive class.

Addressing a press conference at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia explained the initiatives taken by the State Government to put the world famous tourist spot on the air map of Indian. She said the 65 km Mahoba-Khajuraho rail link was expected to be completed by June 2007 and the Madhya Pradesh Government had drawn up a plan to link Khajuraho by road to various towns and for this purpose a memorandum of understanding was to be signed with leading tourist operators.

Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Ashwani Lohani said a Facilitation Centre would start functioning from March next year which would have all facilities for tourists at one place. Sanjay Sharma, Public Relations Officer of Indian, answered various questions put forth by mediapersons.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National