Salem flights: Air Deccan develops cold feet

Salem: Air Deccan, which was reported to be keen to connect Salem till recently, seems to be reluctant now.
Lack of enthusiasm in the locals to fly has dampened the interests of airlines. Consequently, it does not seem to be a `win-win situation' for both passengers and the flight operators. As a result, there is some reluctance to operate flights from Salem.
While `Air Deccan' wants an "underwriting commitment" for traffic viability from the industry and the trade community, citizens claim that the airline is yet to submit a viable package of its operations that include destinations, timings and fare structure. So, the momentum, which has been gained after a prolonged lobbying for the resumption of flight services to Salem, has suffered a setback.
The Regional Manager, South (Marketing), Air Deccan, R. Balaji, told The Hindu that the airline was still `keen to fly' from Salem . "But we need solid commitment from the trade and industry community of Salem, Namakkal and Dharmapuri districts, to ensure us a minimum of 25 tickets both ways," he says.
27/12/06 R. Ilangovan/The Hindu

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