Small towns flying onto aviation map

Mumbai: Time was when flying overseas meant a mandatory trip to the nearest metro to board an international flight. No more, however. A320s and B737s are now at the doorstep of the humblest small towns, and the latter promise to be increasingly on the agenda of international airlines.
In 2003, no more than three non-metros were linked to foreign cities by direct flights. The number has now gone up to an impressive 15, with international flights going to Trichy, Gaya, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow, Nagpur, Pune, Goa, Calicut, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin and Coimbatore. According to civil aviation ministry sources, Kanpur, Madurai, Mangalore will join the list in the coming months.
There are 35 Indian cities with a population of over one million which makes them an ideal catchment area for flights to the Middle and Far East.
Little wonder that international carriers are salivating at the market opportunity in hitherto sleepy towns .
03/11/06 Manju V/Times of India

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