A tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Himachal Pradesh government, Union ministry of civil aviation, and Airports Authority of India (AAI) at New Delhi, on Tuesday.
Secretary tourism and civil aviation Sandeep Kumar on Tuesday said that the MoU was signed under the presence of Union minister for civil aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu and Union minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol.
The agreement is valid for 10 years, with the state government contributing 20% of the viability gap funding (VGF) and the remaining 80% being borne by the government of India under the present arrangement. Sandeep Kumar said that keeping in view the state’s difficult geographical and topographical conditions and the higher costs involved in operating air services in a mountainous region, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had recently urged the Union minister for civil aviation to bring Himachal Pradesh under a revised 90:10 VGF contribution pattern, with 90% support from the Centre and 10% from the state.
He said that the MoU provides a framework for cooperation on existing and new UDAN routes and the development and operationalisation of eligible aviation infrastructure. He said that improved air connectivity would support tourism, facilitate the movement of tourists and business travellers and improve access to remote areas of the state.
