Salem's air connectivity shrinks as flights on three key routes withdrawn

COIMBATORE: The withdrawal of flight services connecting Salem with Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi has left passengers and industries across western Tamil Nadu with limited air travel options, prompting industry representatives to demand immediate restoration of the routes.

The three services, introduced under the Centre's Regional Connectivity Scheme, were discontinued last month following the completion of a three-year subsidy period. The withdrawal has particularly affected business travellers, IT professionals and industrial establishments in Salem, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and Namakkal districts.

“Flights on these routes enjoyed good patronage with an average passenger occupancy of around 80 per cent. Travellers from Salem used to fly to Bengaluru, which offers better international connectivity to several destinations, including Tokyo and the UK, through direct flights. It also provided convenient connections to major Indian cities such as Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai,” said K Mariappan, founder-president of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI).

Further, he pointed out that operating regional routes without government subsidies and fare caps was commercially unviable for airlines because of the high operational costs.

Alliance Air first withdrew its Kochi and Bengaluru services, followed by IndiGo discontinuing its flights connecting Salem with Bengaluru and Hyderabad. However, IndiGo has increased its Salem-Chennai service from once to twice daily, providing some relief to business travellers who need to visit Chennai and return the same day.

The loss of the Bengaluru connection has made travel particularly cumbersome for industrialists and business delegates. Though Bengaluru can be reached by road from Salem through Hosur in about two hours, the onward road journey from Hosur to Bengaluru can take more than three hours due to heavy traffic congestion.

“Several international delegates, particularly from countries such as Japan and Singapore, used to visit Dharmapuri, which has a significant concentration of granite mines and industries. The lack of convenient air connectivity has made such visits difficult. While there are adequate train services to Kochi, the loss of the Bengaluru connection is a major setback,” Mariappan said.

Highlighting the impact on IT professionals, a frequent air traveller SS Yuvaraj, director of India Operations at Hong Kong-based E7 Entertainment Limited, said the flight services remained a boon to professionals from Salem, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and Namakkal working in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi.

“The flights provided a safe, cost-effective and faster mode of travel for a large number of IT professionals. With their withdrawal, passengers are now forced to undertake tedious journeys by omni buses, as securing train tickets is not always easy,” he said.

He added that passengers travelling to Delhi, Mumbai and other major destinations now had to spend several hours travelling by road to Bengaluru or Coimbatore before boarding connecting flights. “Efforts should be made to restore the services to these destinations, as they were useful to passengers and had recorded good patronage,” Yuvaraj said.

Salem was the first airport in Tamil Nadu to be developed under the UDAN scheme, with flight operations to regional destinations. The airport, which had remained largely dormant for several years, was brought back into operation under UDAN-I in 2018. Services were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and subsequently resumed under UDAN 5.0 in 2023.

TN'S 1ST AIRPORT UNDER UDAN SCHEME

Facility bounced back in 2018 after remaining largely dormant for several years

Services suspended during COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 resumed under UDAN 5.0 in 2023

Routes recorded around 80% passenger occupancy

Salem–Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi flights were withdrawn as UDAN subsidy period ended

IndiGo doubles Salem–Chennai services to twice daily