<span style="color: #222222;">Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur today flagged off the first Indigo Airline Delhi-Dharamshala-Delhi flight in New Delhi.<br />''<br />''Indigo airline will operate daily flights on this route. </span><br />''<br />''Speaking on the occasion Mr. Thakur expressed his gratitude towards the Ministry of Civil Aviation for facilitating Indigo connectivity to Himachal Pradesh. He said, this flight will benefit half of the State population. He added that Indigo could not have become a truly national airline without flying to the hill state.<br />''<br />''Mr. Thakur credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the rapid expansion of airport infrastructure in the country. He said the number has gone from 74 to over 140 in a short span of time. He further said that it is due to the UDAN scheme that the people in Hawai Chappal can travel in Hawai Jahaz.<br />''<br />''Addressing the gathering, Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia said that what was not achieved in the past 65 years in the field of civil aviation, has been achieved in the last 9 years with the creation of 148 airports, waterdrome and heliports. He stressed that his Ministry is working towards a target of taking this number to beyond 200 within the next three to four years.<br />''<br />''The Civil Aviation Minister added that the second phase plan for expansion of Dharamshala airport is underway, which aims to eventually land Airbus a320.<br />''<br />''At present, 44 routes have been provided to the State of Himachal under the UDAN scheme, out of which 22 are already operational.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation General V. K. Singh was also present at the occasion. He said this flight will bring in more tourists to Himachal Pradesh which will be beneficial for the people of the state.</span><br />