The Hindu Business Line : Air Deccan in talks with GHIAL for engineering facility

Air Deccan has initiated talks with GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) for opening a full-fledged engineering facility at the upcoming airport near here.

Mr R. Krishnaswamy, Head (Corporate Planning) of Air Deccan, said the low-cost carrier was also planning to open a pilot training facility and hangars at the new airport.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday after launching the second service to the temple town, he said the company was confident that the Rs 7-crore engineering support facility at Chennai would be operational by February next.

"We have taken possession of the 65,000 square feet of land allotted to us. We have identified the construction player and works on the project would start on August 1," he said.

Reiterating the company's strategy of connecting the towns in the hinterlands, Mr Krishnaswamy said the airline had launched services to almost all the serviceable airports. It operated 265 flights a day, connecting 55 destinations.

More options

The airline had plans to strengthen intra-Andhra Pradesh connectivity, by offering more options for the passengers on existing destinations. "We would like to connect other major cities like Chennai, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam to Tirupati," he said.

Replying to a question, he, however, said that the market was not yet ready for launching direct flights to Tirupati from metro cities.

Special darshan

Mr S Raman, Senior Manager (Air Traffic Control) of Tirupati Airport, said the Tirumala-Tirupati Devesthanam (TTD) had agreed to allow the air passengers to have a special darshan at an appointed time. "This will help the passengers save time and effort," he said.

The airline, too, made this a USP for selling the product. "The new flight service will take them to Tirupati in the morning. They can have darshan and come back to Hyderabad in the evening service," he said.

Fares this sector (one way) would begin at Rs 1,400 and it could reach up to Rs 3,200, depending on the demand.

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