Agra, Oct 31 (IANS) Kingfisher Airlines’ inaugural Delhi-Agra flight Sunday arrived at the city of the majestic 17th century Taj Mahal but an hour late, a travel agency official said.
Flight 4367, a 66-seater ATR plane, landed at the Kheria airport around 3.30 p.m. and returned to Delhi after half an hour, said the official who had come to receive tourists.
Although a chartered flight Saturday brought 140 guests to Agra, the regular flight began Sunday afternoon.
Tourism industry leaders have welcomed the airline’s initiative.
Agra Hotels and Restaurants Association president Rakesh Chauhan said: ‘Agra needs more flights and better air travel facilities. International flights should also be allowed to land here.’
According to Kingfisher’s website, the fare for its Delhi-Agra flight is Rs.1999.
President of the Foreign Tourists Welfare Chamber Rajiv Tiwari, while welcoming the introduction of the Kingfisher flight to Agra, demanded reduction in the airport tax.
Tiwari said his organisation had recently presented memorandums in Delhi to union tourism minister Kumari Shelja and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, urging them to reduce the air tax and give Agra tax holiday for at least five years.
