Considering terrain, only 19-seater planes can fly to Kargil: Govt

The government is making all efforts to start civilian flight services to Kargil and only 19-seater aircraft can be operated to the airport there, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Thursday. The minister told the Lok Sabha that considering the runway at the existing Kargil airport, terrain difficulties as well as landing and take off protocols, only 19-seater aircraft can be operated. In this regard, efforts are going on with airlines to look at starting civilian flights to Kargil under the UDAN scheme, he added. UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) is the civil aviation ministry's regional air connectivity scheme. An amount of Rs 9.2 crore has been sanctioned for the airport and some electrical works have also been done. "We are making all efforts to start civilian flights to Kargil... if some airlines say they are ready to provide connectivity from Kargil to Srinagar or Jammu, then we are ready to do the remaining work and provide for the civilian services," the minister