B'luru-Bidar flight restoration: Min M B Patil asks officials to submit proposal in 2 weeks

Karnataka Minister for Infrastructure Development M B Patil has directed officials concerned to hold discussions with private civil aviation service providers on resumption of flight service between Bidar and Bengaluru, which has been halted.

He asked officials to submit a proposal within two weeks.

According to a statement from the Minister’s office, Patil issued the directive during a high-level meeting at Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday, which was also attended by Eshwar Khandre, Forest Minister and in charge of Bidar district, and Rahim Khan, Minister for Municipal Administration.

Patil directed officials to hold consultations with aviation service providers to restart 72-seater flights.

Eshwar Khandre explained that civil aviation services to the border district of Hyderabad Karnataka were launched with an Indian Airforce flight in 2020 following strong demand from the people of the region.

The service was subsequently halted and then restarted in 2022, but it has been completely stopped since last December, it stated.

“Service providers have cited the discontinuation of the subsidy under the UDAN scheme as the reason for the stoppage. They have expressed willingness to restart services if the subsidy is extended. “Given this, the state government should consider providing a subsidy to service providers,” Khandre said.