Shimla, Sept 4
The ongoing monsoon conditions have attributed for delay in start of flights on the Delhi Shimla route. Earlier the flight operations were to resume from September 6 onwards, which will now be been delayed owing to weather conditions and other reasons, informed a spokesperson from Alliance air, the semi government company responsible for running the flight operations. He said that the company has been trying to run test flights since the past few days, but to no success.
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Weather postpones Delhi-Shimla flight recommencement
Alliance Air flights between Delhi and Shimla have been postponed due to bad weather. Flights were to reinstate on September 6, 2022.
— Alliance Air (@allianceair) September 4, 2022
On August 24, RD Dhiman, Chief Secretary of the state had informed flight operations between Delhi- Shimla will resume seven days a week, beginning from September 6. The same was confirmed by officials from Alliance air.
However, now they are delayed and will start from last week of September, informed the company officials.
Once after resuming, the flights on the said route are scheduled to run 7 days a week. Also, Shimla-Kullu-Shimla will run four days a week and between Dharamshala- Shimla three days a week.
The operations on Shimla Delhi route is resuming after a gap of two and a half years.
Earlier too, Alliance Air’s Delhi-Shimla flight was started in 2017 but was stopped in 2020 as the airline’s lease for the smaller ATR 42 aircraft expired. Since then, the airport has only seen heli-taxi services or occasional chartered flights.
Pertinent to mention that Himachal has limited air and rail connectivity and as such the main mode of transport remains road. While flights from the other two airports at Bhuntar in Kullu and Gaggal in Dharamsala have been running smoothly, the flights from Shimla have remained erratic. With a shorter runway it is not possible for bigger aircraft to land at Jubbarhatti airport, resulting in the air fare being exorbitant and the route being rendered uneconomical.
Therefore now the operating company has decided to run a ATR42-600 on this route. The company officials claim that a new aircarft for purpose has also been bought.
Table top Shimla Airport is considered among world’s most challanging runways which was established in 1987 and is built on 109 acres of land.
