Air Deccan takes off for Leh, the country's highest
airport
23 May 2007
Bangalore:
Air Deccan, India's second largest airline flagged-off
its maiden daily flight from Delhi to Leh, the
capital of Ladakh, deploying a 180-seater Airbus
A320 on the route. With this latest launch, Air
Deccan becomes the first low cost carrier to fly
to the highest airport in the country.
Leh, the largest town of Ladakh,
is situated at an altitude of 10,800 ft above
sea level and is a popular tourist place. Opening
of this sector is part of Air Deccan's ongoing
commitment to connect not-so-easily-accessible
destinations with the outside world. Ladakh now
becomes the highest altitude airfield to which
Air Deccan has spread its wings. Jammu, Srinagar
and Katra are the other destinations that the
airline has already connected in the State of
Jammu & Kashmir.
Warwick Brady, chief operating officer,
Air Deccan, said "The Leh airport is the
only easy link for Ladakh to the rest of the country.
With seven months of snowfall disrupting all road-rail
links in the region, Air Deccan's low-cost-easy
travel option will enable more tourists to explore
this rich cultural, religious and adventurous
land."
He also added, "With tourist
influx in Ladakh growing every year (40,000 tourists
in 2006) and nearest rail link being 700 kms away
in Jammu, Air Deccan will definitely prove to
be a catalyst in growth of tourism and economy
in the region. The bookings for this sector, which
opened on 30th April 2007 have already seen a
huge influx of passengers including domestic and
foreign tourist groups. The overall load on this
sector for the coming months is expected to be
around 80%, which is exceptional for a newly introduced
flight. "
The daily flight will depart Delhi
at 0520 hours and arrive at Leh at 0650 hours,
and will leave Leh at 0720 hours reaching Delhi
at 0840 hours.
By way of precaution the carrier
has asked passengers to arrive at Leh airport
at least two hours in advance of the flight, keeping
in mind long security procedures.
Air Deccan is India's fastest
growing low cost airline with the largest network
that covers 65 airports, plying
over 350 flights a day. The airline currently
operates a brand new fleet of 19 Airbus A320 aircraft
and 24 ATR Turboprop aircraft.
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