UDAN yet to bridge state’s air connectivity gap

T'puram: Union govt may have revamped the UDAN scheme, but the scheme so far has not brought many benefits for the state.There are hardly adequate flights between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur or Kozhikode, though it's a popular route. There is only one direct flight to Kannur, and the rest of the few flights are operated via Kochi and Bengaluru and have more layover time. Kozhikode route does not have a direct flight, and most of the flights are via Bengaluru, which makes the total travel time, including layover, 3 hours to 12 hours. The fares are higher on Kozhikode route, showing that the demand seems to be higher than Kannur. Nevertheless, frequent travellers and travel agents say that the issue of inadequate flights is not being discussed at different forums. Even the political parties have not raised the issue. The airlines too are hesitant to introduce more direct flights between Kannur and Kozhikode and the state capital. This impacts business travel and those who want to travel during emergencies. An official said the airlines are worried about consistent patronage and prefer to club the route with another city. The demand for seats peaks during summer holidays and long weekends. It's profitable to fly metro routes where flights go full and airlines too have ground staff and maintenance crew, he added. Thomas Mathai of Riya Travels said the routes have very high demand. The few available trains are always full. The potential for high-end tourism too goes untapped because of lack of flights. Vande Bharat trains have boosted tourist visits to Kannur and Kasaragod. M K Ajit Kumar of India Tourism Forum said, "There is a need for a dedicated Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode-Kannur domestic corridor under UDAN, with at least one-two daily flights on each sector. Offer a viability gap funding (VGF) and charge concession tariff, so that airlines can sustain these routes even with minimum patronage." He also said, "Kerala Tourism and private sector tour operators should propose an arrive at Thiruvananthapuram and depart from Kochi package by creating a Thiruvananthapuram-Alappuzha-Wayanad-Kannur circuit so that demand is created, and airlines find these routes viable." He said the state already has 48 new seaplane routes approved under UDAN, and positioning seaplanes or helicopters on Thiruvananthapuram-Kumbalam-Kochi-Kozhikode-Kannur sector can decongest roads and create premium-tourism products for NRIs. "Therefore, increased flights between Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kannur will cut travel time from 10-12 hours by road to about 1.5 hours by air, making it easier to combine the south, central and north Kerala tourism circuits in a single trip.With better air connectivity, business-cum-leisure (BLE) and MICE tourists can fly into Trivandrum and later move smoothly to Calicut and Kannur for conferences or team-building activities, making Kerala an all-weather MICE destination," Kumar added.
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