Alliance Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, on Monday launched its first direct flight between Ahmedabad and the port town of Kandla in Gujarat.
The five days a week Ahmedabad-Kandla service is the 228th route covered under the UDAN-RCS scheme, a central government initiative that seeks to enhance regional connectivity and make air travel affordable to the masses.
The Ahmedabad-Kandla flight will operate from Monday to Friday under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a release on Tuesday.
The inaugural flight was flagged off from the Ahmedabad airport with 50 passengers, it said.
"Under the UDAN scheme, there has been a commendable uptick of 242 per cent in air traffic on RCS routes which has efficiently strengthened the overall aviation network while providing the services at a modest market-discovered price to the common man, said Rajeev Jain, Additional Director General of PIB and spokesperson for the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Of the 700 routes allotted to different airlines under the UDAN-RCS scheme, this is the 228th route which has become operational, the release said.
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The new service will provide better air connectivity between Ahmedabad and Kutch district's commercial hub of Gandhidham and also Deendayal Port at Kandla, located in the same district, it said.
Through its codeshare with Air India, Alliance Air not only provides regional connectivity within the country, but also offers seamless connectivity to regional passengers on the national carrier's network in India and abroad, the release said.
RCS, also known as UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), will connect all 28 states and nine UTs (Union Territories) of the country with around 700 routes, laying the foundation of a new regional segment in Indias aviation market, it added.
The scheme was launched in October 2016.