Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has urged the Union government to improve air connectivity from Dehradun to the key religious destinations of Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Ayodhya.In response to the Chief Minister’s request, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu informed him through a formal letter that 254 weekly round‑trip flights are currently operating from Dehradun to 11 destinations: Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Shamshabad (Hyderabad), Jaipur, Lucknow, Pune, and Kullu.
These services are being run by major carriers, including IndiGo, Alliance Air, Air India, and Air India Express.The Minister clarified that India’s domestic aviation sector is fully deregulated. Airlines enjoy complete freedom to choose aircraft types, routes, and markets based on their own operational and commercial viability. He added that the final decision to start or expand services on any route lies with the individual airline operators.
However, in response to the state’s request, the Civil Aviation Ministry has forwarded the request for new or enhanced flight services from Dehradun to Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Ayodhya to all scheduled domestic airlines for their consideration.Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed optimism about the development.
He stated that under the guidance of PM Modi, the Central Government is continuously supporting Uttarakhand to expand air services across the state. “This initiative will enable the people of the state to establish direct connectivity with Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Ayodhya,” said CM Dhami.
The proposed routes hold special significance for Uttarakhand, as thousands of devotees from the state frequently travel to these holy cities for religious purposes. Direct flights would significantly reduce travel time and offer greater convenience to pilgrims and general passengers alike.
The Uttarakhand government has been actively working with the Centre to strengthen air connectivity, including recent successful launches of services to remote hill areas. The state continues to press for better links to major pilgrimage and commercial hubs.
The development is expected to boost tourism, religious travel, and overall economic activity in the region once the new routes become operational. Both the state and central governments are hopeful that domestic airlines will soon respond positively to the shared proposal.