Flight ops resume between Pithoragarh and Dehradun after seven months

Flight operations between Pithoragarh and Dehradun were resumed on Friday after a gap of seven months. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had on February 9 this year suspended air services between the two towns after the door of an aircraft with eight passengers on board allegedly opened mid air, forcing it to make an emergency landing at Pantnagar.

After immediate suspension of the flights following the mid-air scare, the DGCA sent a team of experts to look into the matter. Flight operations resumed on Friday after the DGCA gave its clearance following a detailed scrutiny, private firm Heritage Aviation's spokesman Milap Singh Dhami said.

The flights between the two towns have been made direct instead of going via Pantnagar, he said. Under resumed services, a nine-seater B 350 aircraft will operate between the two towns four times a day, Dhami said, adding, there will be two flights from either side during the day.

Air services between Dehradun and Pithoragarh, which is close to India's border with China and Nepal, were inaugurated under UDAN scheme last year. The Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) is the Centre's regional air connectivity scheme.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)