Chennai: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Thursday inaugurated a low cost restaurant under the 'Udan Yatri Cafe' scheme at Chennai airport.
Such low cost restaurant was first launched at Kolkata airport in December last year. While coffee and tea are sold for Rs 10, water bottles for Rs 10, samosas and sweets are sold for Rs 20 at the restaurant. Naidu said, "The 'Udan Yatri Cafe' scheme was started for encouraging poor and middle class people of the country to use flight services. Currently, Udan flights operate on 619 routes across India. Around 1.57 crore people travel on the routes. It is our duty to provide food to passengers on the route at low cost. We will set up such restaurants in many more airports".
He said Chennai is the fourth largest airport in India and its expansion expansion work is underway. While phase 1 work has been completed, phase 2 is underway. The airport is used by 2.2 crore passengers every year. It is expected to increase to 3.5 crore. Accordingly, the airport is being expanded. "We are also expanding Coimbatore airport," the minister said.
Naidu said Chennai's second airport will be set up in Paranthur. The initial site selection work has been completed. Next, a special meeting will be held in Delhi soon regarding the 'in principle approval' sought by the Tamil Nadu government for the airport. "It was the state government that selected the site for the Paranthur airport. If people are opposing the plan, then the state government should decide on it. There is no plan to privatize Chennai airport. On the contrary, we are trying to improve it," he said.
Naidu further said flights will soon be started from Neyveli, Salem and Vellore under the UDAN scheme. Flights are already operating between Salem and Chennai. All arrangements are being made to start air services between Vellore and Chennai soon. Similarly, flight services will also start from Neyveli, Naidu said.
