Airfare cheaper than travelling in an auto, says aviation minister Jayant Sinha

Gorakhpur: Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha on Tuesday claimed that the cost of air tickets is much lesser than that of an auto rickshaw in the present day.

Speaking at an inaugural event of the new domestic terminal building of Gorakhpur Airport, he said, "Today airfare is less than that of an auto-rickshaw. You may ask how is that possible?"

He further added, "When two people take an auto-rickshaw they pay a fare of Rs 10 which means they're charged Rs 5 per kilometre but when you fly you are charged Rs 4 per kilometre."

Sinha said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the aviation sector saw maximum development, adding that the number of people commuting via air has increased two-folds in 2018.

"Till 2013, approximately only six crore people were travelling by flights, but now the figures have improved. At present, as many as 12 crore people residing across the country are using airlines as a mode of transport. Earlier, there were only 75 airports but today there are as many as 100 airports which are operational all over India," he added.

In a bid to improve connectivity to and fro Gorakhpur, Sinha assured that Indigo airline would soon launch around five to 10 flights in the near future so that locals can travel with ease to nearby cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Allahabad.