Kingfisher, Go Airlines may fly to J&K

State expecting the best ever tourist season in the last 15 years

Jammu and Kashmir is becoming an important destination for aviation companies in the country with tourist inflow into the state expected to be at its highest this year.

Air Deccan and Spicejet started operations in Jammu and Kashmir in the last three months, and now Kingfisher and Go Airlines are all set to fly to the state, drawn by the tourism boom there.

According to official figures, 6.5 million pilgrims visited Mata Vaishno Devi in Jammu in 2005. About one million tourists, including four lakh Amarnath pilgrims, visited the Kashmir Valley during this period.

"With Kashmir again becoming a hot spot for domestic as well as foreign tourists, and of course the pilgrim influx on a continuous rise, aviation companies are finding Kashmir on their top agenda," said Kashmir's leading tour operator Nazir Bakhshi in Srinagar.

Sources said Kingfisher Airlines and Go Airlines have approached the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Indian Air Force (IAF) for their operations in the state.

Kingfisher and Go Airlines have already got the go-ahead to start operations in Jammu and Kashmir from the Airport Authority of India (AAI).

"Kashmir (as tourist destination) is in good demand. This year, we are expecting the best ever tourist season in the last 15 years," said Bakhshi.

Sources said Jet Airways has decided to operate their third Srinagar-Delhi daily flight and Spicejet also plans to add an additional flight.

Currently, Jet Airways operates two flights everyday while Spicejet flies only one flight from Srinagar to Delhi and back.

"We are meeting minimum requirements but we have to gear up for handling the influx of tourists," said an official of the tourism department. The influx has already put tremendous stress on the existing tourism infrastructure thus leading to serious re-thinking in government.

The state government has already taken several major steps to meet the tourist demands and further promote tourism and attract high-end tourists to the state. Recently, the government decided to lease out land to private parties at various tourist resorts in the state.

Yet another measure, which would help in boosting tourism in a big way, is upgradation of the Srinagar airport as an international airport. The central government in January last year announced that the Srinagar airport would be converted into an international airport.

"Let the business stabilise as there is still an element of uncertainty. Once we have couple of good tourist seasons, there will be domestic as well as outside investment in the tourism sector," Bakhshi pointed out.