No flight in sight, administration proposes four new routes from Hindon civil terminal

Earlier, the previous district magistrate Ritu Maheshwari had said that the first flight could take off from August 5. However, officials said that they have asked the AAI to expedite the operation of flights and have also asked for four new routes.

The new civil terminal at the Hindon airbase is ready but is still waiting for its first flight to take off. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the project on March 8. After missing repeated deadlines in expectation of commencement of flights, the new district magistrate on Wednesday held a detailed meeting with the officials of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and asked them to arrange a meeting with officials of the three airlines which want to operate flights from Ghaziabad.

Former DM Ritu Maheshwari had said that the first flight could take off from the new civil terminal on August 5.

Earlier, the previous district magistrate Ritu Maheshwari had said that the first flight could take off from August 5. However, officials said that they have asked the AAI to expedite the operation of flights and have also asked for four new routes.

“We have asked the AAI officials to arrange a meeting with the officials of the three private airlines at the earliest. If they have any apprehensions about the viability or other issues, they will be resolved. Further, I have also proposed four new routes to Lucknow, Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Gorakhpur. These are popular destinations for people from the NCR and should be incorporated under the civil flight operation plan from Hindon,” Dr Ajay Shankar Pandey, district magistrate, said.

“We are taking every possible measure so that flights start operating from the Hindon airbase. A meeting was scheduled for Wednesday at Lucknow and our officials were sent to be a part of it and discuss the civil terminal airport,” he added.

Presently, the new civil terminal is proposed to operate flights on eight routes, including Nasik, Pithoragarh, Kannur, Hubli, Faizabad, Shimla, Jamnagar and Kalaburgi.

The civil terminal was part of the regional connectivity scheme of the Centre, also known as Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik or UDAN. It will also decongest the busy Delhi airport and will operate regional flights. Entry/exit gates and waiting lounges have been constructed at the new civil terminal while the runway of the airbase will be used for the operation of the flights.

To allow flights during the evening hours, the administration had also sent a proposal worth ₹4.5 crore to the UP civil aviation department to fence the runway of the airbase.

This was done as the airbase area has the presence of hundreds of Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), which could hamper the operation of flights