In a move to boost regional connectivity, the Ministry of Civil Aviation launched the first direct flight between Kalaburagi to Tirupati on January 12, 2021.
Inaugurated under the RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme - Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme of the Indian government to provide wings to the travel aspirations of the common man, UDAN is a regional airport development and regional connectivity scheme aimed at aerial excellence in India.
Star Air was awarded the route under the RCS-UDAN-3 bidding process last year.
The airline commenced the flight operations from Kalaburagi, Karnataka to Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, covering the 630 km journey in just under 70 minutes. The move is said to convenience travelling between both the states and mutually strengthen ties.
In order to make air travel more affordable and enhance its coverage in the country, 305 UDAN routes and 53 airports (which includes 5 heliports and 2 water aerodromes) have already been operationalised.
The Kalaburagi Airport under the same scheme completed one successful year of service and takes pride in being one of the fastest growing airports in the country.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) received numerous public appeals, including one by the Hyderabad Karnataka Chamber of Commerce, emphasising the necessity of direct flight operations between Kalaburagi and Tirupati, the &lsquospiritual capital of Andhra Pradesh&rsquo. Home to the auspicious Sri Venkateshwara Swamy Temple (Tirupati Balaji temple), Tirupati attracts 50,000 to 1,00,000 visitors per day.
Prior to the flights, people had to combine road and rail journeys which took more than 12 hours between the cities, and upto 20 hours solely via buses, to cover 630km. This can now be covered in just 70 minutes.
Star lines will operate three weekly flights on the route, employing its 50 seater Embraer-145 luxury aircraft.