Gopinath turns focus to linking Gujarat airports

Deccan Charters Ltd, a non-scheduled carrier controlled by G.R. Gopinath, the pioneer of budget travel in India, will run chartered flights to poorly connected airports in Gujarat.
The company has signed an agreement with the state government to fly to Porbandar, Kandla, Jamnagar, Surat, Bhavnagar, Bhuj and Ahmedabad, said Gopinath, managing director of Deccan Charters.
“We will be connecting smaller airports to Ahmedabad and other airports. We will start these flights shortly using smaller planes,” he said.
The company, which charters helicopters and small planes, runs a similar service in eastern India, connecting the smaller airports of West Bengal to Jamshedpur in Jharkhand.
In 2003, Gopinath launched India’s first low-fare carrier, Air Deccan, helping millions fly for the first time, before selling it to Kingfisher Airlines Ltd in 2007.
A Gujarat government official said the state has a large number of airports, but many of these are connected to Mumbai in Maharashtra and not to other parts of the state.
“The idea behind joining hands with Deccan Charters is to strengthen inter-connectivity by air in the state, with Surat and Ahmedabad as hubs,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
The service will be jointly marketed by Gujarat tourism authorities and Deccan Charters, he said.
“These are virgin markets, and scheduled airlines don’t operate in these airports,” said Gurcharan Bhatura, chairman of Air Transport and Tourism Advisors, a New Delhi-based aviation consultancy. “This is the ideal strategy to start as a non-scheduled operator with charter flights. One can switch it to scheduled operations after seeking a licence to run (a) regional airline, if you find these markets are viable.”
Bhatura said Gopinath’s charter operations could be commercially viable as he will deploy smaller planes, which don’t have to pay landing, navigation and parking charges at airports.
08/04/11 P.R. Sanjai/Live Mint

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Categories: Deccan Aviation Apr 2011, New Apr 2011