From Dec 9, fly to Kullu, Dharamshala from Shimla

Priced at Rs 5138 for a one-way ticket, Alliance Air will operate flights on Shimla-Dharamshala route thrice a week and four times a week on the Shimla-Kullu route.

The company has acquired a fleet of ATR 42 600 planes,which has a passenger capacity of 42. The flights will reduce travel time between the Shimla and the two districts by approximately 6 hours.

As per Alliance Air, flights between Shimla and Dharamshala will operate on Monday, Friday and Saturday and the rest of the days, services will be available on the Shimla-Kullu route. While the flight from Shimla will depart at 7.40 am and land at Dharamshala by 8.30 am, the returning flight will depart at 8.50 am. Flights between Shimla and Kullu will operate at the same time.

Earlier, in November the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department had sought permission from the Election Commission of India to launch flights. However, since the model code of conduct is in place till December 8, the launch of the flights was postponed.

Alliance Air has a company target of connecting metros to virgin territories to increase its network and develop tourism to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Following the disinvestment of Air India (AI), Alliance Air was formed as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) under AI holdings. After AI was acquired by Tata Sons, Alliance ceased to be part of AI holdings.

While the Union ministry hopes that the new routes will attract more tourists ahead of Christmas and New Year, hoteliers are hopeful that with the new connectivity, tourist footfall will reach the pre-Covid numbers.

However, locals, who largely depend on bus services, had mixed reviews.

Raman Thakur, a resident of Kangra, said, “Travel between cities takes more than six hours and now it will be possible in around an hour. Several people have businesses in the region and stay in other areas. With this, they will be able to expand their work to other areas”.
Arvind Sharma, a resident of Shimla, added that the high price could be a deterrent. “A round trip will be expensive. People who have time will not opt for this,” he said.