128 regional routes awarded under RCS

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has awarded 128 regional routes to five airlines – Alliance Air, SpiceJet, Turbo Megha, Air Odisha and Air Deccan – kick-starting the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) in the country. In the first round of the RCS, while Air Alliance has been awarded 15 routes, giving it access to five unserved and two underserved airports, Air Deccan has got 34 routes to 10 unserved and five underserved airports, and Air Odisha has won 50 routes. Consequently, flights will be operated on the Salem-Chennai, Kadapa-Chennai, Nanded-Hyderabad and Puducherry-Salem routes, on which at least half the passengers will be able to fly at fares under Rs 2,500. The decision to award routes to these airlines has been taken only after receiving bank guarantees for the routes.