Agra on world aviation map

International flights have started from Agra. On Tuesday, "Voyages Jules Verne", a UK-based tour operator struck a tie-up with SITA travels, a division of the Kuoni Travel group, India, for the operation of international chartered flights directly from the UK to this city.

The first flight in this series of 32 weekly flights landed at Agra airport on Tuesday, carrying 189 tourists from the UK in an Astraeus Boeing 757 aircraft, which flew back to the UK the same evening, carrying 12 passengers on the return trip.

The tourists arriving in Agra were welcomed at the Hotel Taj Khema of the UP tourism department yesterday by folk artists to the loud beat of traditional drums and other musical instruments, with the UP tourism hosting a breakfast in their honour.

The beginning of international chartered flights in Agra after six years is being seen as a major breakthrough made by the tourism industry of Agra, which had been striving for international flights in Agra for quite some time now.

Talking to Business Standard, Chetan Juneja, general manager, SITA Indian Trails, said this charter comprised two international tour packages, but the prime feature was the £395 "A Day in Agra" tour, in which the tourists got the opportunity of spending a full day at the Taj Mahal, returning to the UK the same evening.

Besides these day-tourists, whose numbers are few, most of the tourists arriving in Agra will stay in the town for a week, visiting Fatehpur Sikri, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Gwalior, and Delhi.

He said this was the first international flight to Agra from the UK after six years and such flights will be on till May next year, ferrying almost 6,000 tourists during the period. He said the most unique feature of the flight would be the tourists would be staying in the various hotels of Agra, giving them a chance to regain the business they had lost in the past few years.

According to local travel industry sources, the Agra tourism industry is expected to earn Rs 60-70 crore from the operations of these flights and efforts were being made to bring in more chartered flights from other countries like France, South Africa and Germany, in this tourist season.

FANTACY FLIGHT

Chartered flights will be on till May next year, ferrying almost 6,000 tourists during the period

Agra tourism industry is expected to earn Rs 60-70 crore from the operations of these flights

Efforts were being made to bring in more chartered flights from countries like France, South Africa and Germany