Tag Archives: Raipur

Star Air has been connecting hinterlands of India by bringing in new destinations on its route map.

Star Air to connect Jharsuguda with Hyderabad, Raipur & Lucknow from Jan 1

In alignment with the Government of India’s Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – UDAN, Star Air, the aviation arm of the Sanjay Ghodawat Group, has announced new flight services connecting Jharsuguda (JRG) in Odisha with Hyderabad, Raipur, and Lucknow.

Starting January 1, 2025, Jharsuguda will have daily flights to Hyderabad. From February 1, 2025, this connectivity will expand to include Raipur (RPR) and Lucknow (LKO), marking a significant milestone in Star Air’s mission to enhance regional air travel. With this addition, Star Air now connects 24 destinations across India.

Known as the “Powerhouse of Odisha,” Jharsuguda is an industrial and cultural hub celebrated for its diversity and rich heritage, often referred to as “Little India.” The new routes are expected to boost tourism and strengthen economic ties between Jharsuguda and the dynamic cities of Hyderabad, Lucknow, and Raipur.

This enhanced connectivity will promote cultural exchange, tourism, and trade, providing passengers with more opportunities to explore the unique traditions and histories of these cities while fostering sustainable regional growth.

Speaking about the expansion, Capt. Simran Singh Tiwana, CEO,  Star Air, stated, “The launch of new destinations connecting Hyderabad, Lucknow, Jharsuguda, and Raipur represents a significant step forward in Star Air’s mission to strengthen regional connectivity across India. These flights aim to provide passengers with greater convenience while contributing to the growth of trade, tourism, and economic opportunities in these regions.”

The airline also announced plans to expand its fleet to 25 aircraft over the next three years, reinforcing its commitment to improving air connectivity in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Currently, Star Air operates a fleet of nine aircraft, including four Embraer E175s and five Embraer E145s, positioning the airline for continued growth and accessibility.

With this strategic expansion, Star Air continues to play a pivotal role in making air travel more accessible, convenient, and affordable for passengers across India.

 

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Aviation Minister unveils Digi Yatra facility at 9 more airports

Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, has inaugurated the Digi Yatra facility for nine airports at Visakhapatnam International Airport and virtually launched this facility for eight other AAI’s airports, namely Coimbatore, Dabolim, Indore, Bagdogra, Ranchi, Patna, Raipur, and Bhubaneshwar airports.

During the launch event, the Aviation Minister highlighted how Digi Yatra simplifies the cumbersome task of managing multiple documents—boarding passes, ID proofs and luggage tags while navigating the airport crowd.

The Airport entry time for a passenger has reduced from an average 15 seconds in manual process to 5 seconds. Over 55 lakh users have already downloaded the app, and more than 3 crore passengers have used Digi Yatra to travel.

Since its launch of the first Digi Yatra facility at three airports, New Delhi, Varanasi, and Bengaluru, on December 1, 2022, the total number of Digi Yatra-enabled airports will become twenty-four, including nine airports of today.

The Minister further highlighted the significance of Digi Yatra’s introduction, stating, “Its introduction was very well in time, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the need for minimising physical contact became more urgent than ever. Digi Yatra offered contactless and paperless processing at key airport checkpoints. Since its inception, the system has helped save thousands of sheets of paper daily across airports, supporting our broader goal of sustainable development in the aviation sector.”

On the issue of data security, Naidu reaffirmed the government’s commitment, said, “Even on the floor of Lok Sabha, I have emphasised that Digi Yatra is built on a foundation of robust data security. Today also, I would like to put it very clearly that there is no central storage of passengers’ Personally Identifiable Information (PII). All passenger data is encrypted and stored securely in their smartphones, shared only temporarily with the origin airport, and destroyed within 24 hours of departure. Privacy of every traveller is paramount for us, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation would not compromise on it.”

Digi Yatra is a transformative digital initiative of the government to enhance the passenger experience with seamless, contactless, and paperless boarding at airports based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT). It helps travellers pass through various checkpoints at the airports through paperless and contactless processing using facial features to validate their identity and travel details.

Murlidhar Mohol, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation and Union Civil Aviation Secretary, Shri Vumlunmang Vualnam also joined the event through video conferencing. Shri M. Suresh, Chairman, AAI, Sri Sribharat Mathukumilli, Member of Parliament for Lok sabha (Visakhapatnam), and Shri P.G.V.R. Naidu (Gana Babu), Member of Legislative asssembly of Andhra Pradesh, Shri P.K Thakur, DDG,MoCA and other senior officials of MoCA and AAI were also present during the event.

Ambikapur Airport in Chhattisgarh Granted DGCA Aerodrome License

Officials have confirmed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted the aerodrome license for Ambikapur Airport in Chhattisgarh’s Surguja district, allowing for the commencement of flight operations.

According to a spokesperson from the public relations department, Maa Mahamaya Airport in Ambikapur has been developed as a 3-C VFR category facility to enhance air services within the state.

The application for the airport’s license to commence air services was submitted to the DGCA in December 2022. Recently, the aviation regulator approved the license for Ambikapur Airport, marking it as the third licensed airport in the state, alongside Bilaspur and Jagdalpur, all operating under the regional connectivity scheme (RCS).

The license has paved the way for the operation of 72-seater flights from Ambikapur, he added. The state government has already been making efforts to start air service from Ambikapur Airport to Raipur, Bilaspur, Lucknow, Patna, and Ranchi. With the commencement of flights from Ambikapur, tourism and commercial activities in the northern region of the state will get a boost and facilitate the development of the region, the official said.

Meanwhile, the state government also signed a memorandum of understating (MoU) with the Centre-run Alliance Air to start regular commercial flight services from Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) to Delhi and Kolkata, and Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh) to Delhi via Jabalpur by the end of this month, he noted.

The chief minister inaugurated flight services from Bilaspur to Delhi and Kolkata on March 12, while the flight service Delhi-Jabalpur- Jagdalpur-Jabalpur-Delhi was also launched on the same day, the official said. Now, after the pact, the flight services on the three routes will be regular from the month-end, he added.

As per the MoU, the state will provide financial assistance to the airline company to compensate for the loss based on the cost revenue model in case of non-availability of passengers on the flights.

DGCA issues license for Utkela airport in Odisha to start flights

The Director General Civil Aviation Monday (DGCA) has said it has issued the license for Utkela airport in Odisha’s Kalahandi district to start flight operations.

Utkela airport, 15 km from the district headquarters of Bhawanipatna, is among the airstrips that have been listed under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN.

This license from Civil Aviation has paved the way for regular flights of commercial aeroplanes from Utkella to Bhubaneswar and Raipur, capitals of Odisha and its neighbour Chhattisgarh respectively.

After Rourkela and Jeypore, the UDAN service will be launched soon in Utkela, an official said adding that initially GSEC Monarch has been given the license to fly nine-seated commercial planes.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik welcomed the DGCA’s decision. “Glad to share that #UtkelaAirport in #Kalahandi district has received DGCA license to start flight operation. Soon flight operations will commence to #Bhubaneswar. It will boost connectivity, commerce & tourism, fulfilling aspiration of people of the region,” Patnaik said in a statement posted on X, earlier known as Twitter. (Source: PTI)

Govt earmarks 25 AAI airports for leasing between 2022-2025

As per National Monetization Pipeline (NMP), 25 airports of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) have been earmarked for leasing over the years 2022 to 2025, said the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Monday.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh, in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, said AAI airports are leased out in the public interest for their better management utilising private sector efficiency and investment.

States and passengers are the ultimate beneficiaries of enhanced airport infrastructure and facilities created by a private partner, who operates, manages and develops the leased airport under Public Private Partnership (PPP), he said.

The Minister further said airports have emerged as a nucleus of economic activities and have a multiplier effect on the economy of the State. The revenue received by AAI from the leased airports is also utilized in the development of airport infrastructure across the country.

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the airports namely Bhubaneshwar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Trichy, Indore, Raipur, Calicut, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Patna, Madurai, Surat, Ranchi, Jodhpur, Chennai, Vijayawada, Vadodara, Bhopal, Tirupati, Hubli, Imphal, Agartala, Udaipur, Dehradun and Rajahmundry have been earmarked for leasing over the years 2022 to 2025.

Further, AAI has leased out eight of its airports under PPP for operation, management and development on long-term lease basis.

The airports along with the concessionaires include Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, Mangaluru International Airport, Jaipur International Airport, Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. (ANI)