Hyderabad, Mar 31 (IANS): Commercial flights between Hyderabad and Hubli, in Karnataka, recommenced with the first Alliance Air aircraft taking off at 6.35 am on Wednesday. With this sector, the GMR Hyderabad International Airport is connected to 57 domestic destinations.

Pradeep Panicker, CEO, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, said, "The Recommencement of this service testifies that the passenger confidence in flying is gradually increasing and GMR Hyderabad International Airport is geared up to meet the growing demand. These services which were launched under UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), a regional connectivity scheme launched by the Government of India to enhance air connectivity to tier 2 and tier 3 cities, are very crucial in re-establishing connectivity with metros."

Alliance Air has deployed a 70 seater ATR 72 600 on this sector. Flight No. 9I 879 will depart from Hyderabad at 6.25 a.m. and arrive in Hubli at 8 a.m. In return, Flight No. 9I 880 will depart from Hubli at 8.25 a.m. and arrive in Hyderabad at 9.55 a.m. The flight service is scheduled to operate thrice a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Harpreet A De Singh, CEO - Alliance Air, said "This new flight will make the connectivity between Hyderabad and Hubli seamless and agile. Alliance Air aims to connect India with an Alliance of Hearts across the country with unique routes, unique destinations overcoming unique challenges. We look forward to serving Hyderabad and Hubbali with safety and service as our first priority."

Alliance Air is a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India. The Hyderabad - Hubli flight service is an RCS flight under UDAN scheme initiative by government of India.

Hubli, also known as Hubballi, is a city in the state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli-Dharwad makes up for the third largest urban agglomeration in the state after Bangalore and Mysore.