Tuesday, December 6 2005 17:40 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Srinagar: With the inauguration of a direct flight from Delhi to Srinagar, Deccan Aviation, which operates Air Deccan, today (Dec 06, 2005) announced that the low-cost airline would concentrate on increasing the connectivity within Jammu and Kashmir.

Talking to reporters after the first flight of Air Deccan touched Srinagar airport, State Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the airport was now handling almost 50 flights per week. "Now we will like to see that inter-connectivity between Srinagar, Jammu and Leh increases with small aircraft landing at small airstrips like Kargil, Poonch, Kishtawar", he said.

This statement immediately evoked a prompt response from Air Deccan Chairman and Managing Director Capt G R Gopinath, who said that he would like to venture into this area as his airline had 50-seater turbo-prop ATR aircraft, which could land at small airstrips like the one in Kargil.

He also assured a serious consideration of the Chief Minister's suggestion for connecting tourist spots like Pehalgham, Gulmarg, Sonamarg (Kashmir), Chishul and Drass (Ladakh) and Poonch and Kishtawar (Jammu) with helicopter.