In a major setback for the Agra aviation industry, three major flight routes will be terminated in the coming days, bringing a severe blow to the city’s air connectivity.
According to India Today, flights connecting Agra to significant locations including Jaipur, Bhopal, and Ahmedabad will be non-functional, effective from 1 April 2024, i.e, today onwards.
Speaking on the same, Neeraj Srivastava, Agra Airport Director, confirmed the development and explained that the decision has been taken in the wake of a shortage of available aircraft, which has led to several issues for the airlines in maintaining services on the respective routes.
This comes at a time when Agra, despite attracting a considerable number of tourists regularly, thanks to housing some iconic landmarks like the Taj Mahal, continues to suffer from inadequate air links from major cities across the country.
Currently, only a handful of flights operate, connecting destinations such as Mumbai, Lucknow, Bhopal, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Bengaluru. However, the recent announcement by the Airports Authority of India to cease three of these flights has triggered outrage among local tourism businesses.
Prahlad Agarwal, President of the Agra Tourist Welfare Chamber, expressed dismay over what he perceives as neglect towards Agra’s tourism potential. He criticised the lack of new development initiatives and the persistent failure to complete ongoing projects. Agarwal condemned the withdrawal of flights as yet another instance of discriminatory treatment towards Agra.
Social activist Vijay Upadhyay raised concerns over the justification provided for the flight closures, pointing out that despite charging higher fares, flights from Agra remain profitable for airlines. He questioned the rationale behind withdrawing services from Agra while neighboring cities are unaffected by similar aircraft shortages
Prayagraj-Pune Direct Flight Discontinued
Earlier in March this year, the direct flight connecting Prayagraj to Pune was also discontinued. The flight which was introduced in March 2020, initially operated six days a week. However, it was later reduced to three days a week.
Since then, there have been talks over closing the flight. Reacting to the same, Airport Advisory Committee chairperson and MP Keshari Devi Patel and other members have expressed disappointment over the discontinuation of the flight.
While the direct flight from Sangam City to Pune has been discontinued, flights from Prayagraj to Delh and Bilaspur will operate till 15 April, following which a new schedule will be released soon.
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