New Delhi, Apr 20 (IANS): In a bid to service regional and Buddhism tourist destinations, Alliance Air, a subsidiary of national carrier Air India, will start flight services between Dehradun and Lucknow from May 2, an official said Saturday.

"It is the first time that two major political centres of north India will be connected by direct flight services. Alliance Air sees major potential in the sector, which will not only cater to government sector passengers, but also to the Buddha circuit tourist traffic," a senior official with the airline told IANS here.

According to the official, the new service will also be marketed among foreign tourists who visit the two cities.

"A lot of tourists from Sri Lanka and China visit these two destinations. If the response is good then we may even increase the frequency of the flights," the official added.

The airline said that the service will be operated on a 70-seat capacity CRJ (Canadair Regional Jet) manufactured by Bombardier.

The service will be operated four times a week.