After a long wait, the Hindon airport is ready to operate its first flight on October 11. District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey informed that the first flight will be to Pithoragarh from Heritage Aviation Company.
The airport has come as a relief for passengers from western Uttar Pradesh as they would not have to travel all the way to Delhi airport to catch flights for certain destinations such as Shimla, Faizabad, Nasik and Hubli. The airport can handle flights that carry up to 80 passengers. The terminal can accommodate up to 300 passengers at a time.
As the area is known for criminal activity and traffic rush, the Uttar Pradesh police are taking special care to make it a comfortable experience for passengers. “As the operation got delayed by five to six months, we had ample time to train personnel for the airport security. Around 50 policemen have been given special training as per the criteria set by Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) in baggage screening and other airport-related security measures,” said Shlok Kumar, SP (City).
Mr Kumar said that measures were being taken to ensure the smooth movement of passengers. “Right now, there is no need for any special measures, but as the passenger traffic increases, we will take other steps as well,” he told The Hindu.
On Wednesday, Rohit Mathur, CEO Heritage Aviation, told reporters that a nine-seater aircraft would fly from Hindon Airport to Pithoragarh. The company would charge ₹2,500 for each seat.
Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March this year, the Hindon airport is expected to reduce the pressure on the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
