LCCs to tap the pilgrims’ progress

NEW DELHI: Low-cost carriers (LCCs) have found a new love: Pilgrim centres. Having made a significant presence in major cities, budget airlines such as Air Deccan and SpiceJet are now spreading their wings towards Buddhist destinations soon. Locations on their radar include Leh, Laddakh, Varanasi, Bodh Gaya, Kullu and Dharamshala.

One may fly to Bodh Gaya and Kullu in Air Deccan from September this year. It also has plans to link Kolkata with Bodh Gaya and Kullu with Delhi, Spice Jet is all set to launch Delhi-Varanasi flight services from October ‘06.
“The mission of Air Deccan is to connect remote cities with metros.

Pilgrim centres have tremendous potential, but they lack in proper connectivity. We intend to provide air-link between popular pilgrim centres with major towns and cities. This will not only help in boosting revenue but also promote domestic tourism,” Air Deccan managing director GR Gopinath told ET.

SpiceJet too has an ambition to fly to remote destinations like Leh, Ladakh and Dharamshala, but its major problem is lack of infrastructure. “Runways in these locations are not suitable for landing. The infrastructure in these airports are not suitable for our aircraft, which are bigger in size. Unless proper infrastructure is in place, potential of religious tourism cannot be fully tapped,” SpiceJet managing director Ajay Singh said.

Go Air managing director Jeh Wadia said that the company doesn’t have immediate plan for flying to religious destinations. “These places, however, have tremendous potential,” he said. The tourism ministry has promised to provide necessary help in developing infrastructure.

It is planning to develop the Buddhist tourism circuit in a big way. Development of airports and runways and bolstering rail-road connectivity are part of the plan. “The ministry has received a loan of Rs 5,500 crore from Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC). It has signed an MoU with JBIC for loan and technical assistance for the proposed projects,” a source in tourism ministry said.

Urban development has also stepped in with assistance for the mega project. It is considering a tourism ministry proposal to release funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to upgrade infrastructure in Buddhist towns.

Indian Railways doesn’t want to lose out to its competitor. It also plans new services in these destinations. “A fleet of new trains will be rolled out on these lines soon. It will prove to be a great opportunity for southern states to tab religious tourism in the eastern part of the nation,” a railway ministry official said.