Private carrier IndiGo has evinced interest to launch operations from Puducherry airport.
The representatives of IndiGo on Friday, December 17, 2021, met Minister for Home A. Namassivayam and Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan in New Delhi to discuss about launching air services from here.
Mr Lakshminarayanan, who also holds the Tourism portfolio, said the private carrier was keen to launch services from Puducherry airport.
“They told us that the company was in the process of recruiting ground staff to start operations before the outbreak of novel coronavirus. They stopped the recruitment process due to the pandemic. Now, they will again start the preparations to launch service,” the Minister told The Hindu .
The government had requested the operator to consider starting services to Tirupati, Kannur (in Kerala) and other destinations in the country, he said.
About SpiceJet resuming flights to Hyderabad and Bengaluru, the Minister said the government had agreed to continue with the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) under the Centre’s Regional Connectivity Scheme — UDAN.
VGF, a monetary assistance given to the airline operator to enable them to successfully operate flights in routes, would be provided for Hyderabad and Bengaluru sectors, the Minister said. For the Hyderabad sector, the financial guarantee would be for 15 seats and Bengaluru 10 seats. Earlier, for the both the sectors, the assistance was guaranteed for 35 seats, he said.
“The airline management is working out plans to resume the services very soon,” he said.
