Airlines (Adampur Airport) make it profitabilty. AIP

Why Adampur Airport’s UDAN Routes Aren’t Profitable Adampur Airport (AIP) in Punjab was revived under India’s UDAN scheme with a new ₹130 crore ($15.6M) terminal opened in 2024 linkedin.com . Yet traffic remains low – just 35,220 passengers in FY2024–25 (a 194% jump from the previous year, but still tiny) en.wikipedia.org . Star Air has run daily flights to Delhi (via Hindon, Ghaziabad) under UDAN, carrying only ~15,500 people between Apr–Sep 2024 (avg. load ~52%) aviationa2z.com . SpiceJet briefly flew Adampur–Delhi (IGI), Jaipur and Mumbai under UDAN but pulled out amid “substantial losses” aviationa2z.com . In short, airlines are losing money even with subsidies, because passenger demand is too weak.but that;s not true but due to other factors Even established carriers have struggled. A SpiceJet Dash-8 Q400 (foreground) and an IndiGo A320 (background) are shown at Delhi. SpiceJet’s ATR flights from Adampur were unprofitable, leading it to abandon routes aviationa2z.com . Key Demand Challenges Nearby Hub Competition: Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee Intl (ATQ) is only ~97 km from Jalandhar (about 1.5–2 hours by road). Many local travelers prefer driving to Amritsar airport, a well-established hub but that is only due to connectivity issue to delhi and Bag Handling i.e only 20 kgs allowed to board if connecting flights from Delhi to International that should be increased. linkedin.com . This proximity siphons off demand from Adampur, which cannot compete with Amritsar’s due to larger network and frequency. Cheap Ground Alternatives: Jalandhar/Hoshiarpur enjoy frequent, low-cost buses and trains to Delhi. These long-distance options (via NH-1/3) can be much cheaper than flying. As one analysis notes, “affordable rail and bus services” connecting to Delhi make it hard to generate high-yield air traffic from Adampur but due to uncertainity in carrying luggage which is connecting them to Main HUB Delhi linkedin.com . In effect, many would-be air travelers simply take a ₹2500- ₹3000–for the 400+ km for a flight to Hindon plus onward travel. Lack of Hub Connectivity: Until recently, Adampur flights only went to Hindon (Ghaziabad), not Delhi’s main IGI airport. Hindon is poorly connected: it handles a few domestic routes and is 30–35 km from central Delhi (often jammed) hindustantimes.com . Passengers must take another taxi or metro leg after landing. In contrast, flying into IGI would offer easy onward connections. The absence of an Adampur–Delhi (IGI) nonstop route greatly reduces convenience and appeal. Travel Time and Convenience Consider a traveler going to Delhi. Driving from Adampur to IGI Delhi takes roughly 400 km and ~5½–6 hours rome2rio.com . The current option is to fly Adampur→Hindon (~1h20) and then drive ~30 km to Delhi (~40–60 min in traffic). This door-to-door journey still takes about 2½–3 hours of transit time. In practice passengers report hassles: delays exiting Hindon, scarce cabs, and congested roads hindustantimes.com hindustantimes.com . By contrast, a direct flight from Adampur to IGI (if approved) would cut the ground leg and possibly save 1–2 hours per trip. Even two flights per day to Delhi could attract many passengers. For example, a business traveler who currently drives 6 hours could fly in ~2½ hours total (1h30 flight + airport procedures), making air travel far more attractive. In short, lack of direct Delhi service means passengers either endure long drives (cutting air demand) or accept the inconvenience of a second ride from Hindon. Attempts at Other Routes Airlines have tried other connections from Adampur, but with little success. Star Air recently launched flights to Bengaluru and Nanded in addition to Hindon en.wikipedia.org , targeting specific markets. However, these routes serve limited local demand and still depend on small turboprops. Earlier, SpiceJet’s UDAN flights to Jaipur and Mumbai also failed to sustain profits aviationa2z.com . This suggests that non-hub destinations aren’t filling enough seats to cover costs. In practice, no other domestic route has proven clearly viable. The consensus among analysts is that focusing on Delhi is key. As one industry expert put it, “For IndiGo to effectively serve the Jalandhar market, it might consider focusing on non-stop ATR 72‑600 services to Delhi, leveraging its network to maximize load factors” linkedin.com . Even two direct daily flights to Delhi could dramatically boost occupancy and yields, while adding routes like Amritsar or Chandigarh (by flight) would simply duplicate ground connections already available. Infrastructure & Access Another factor limiting Adampur’s success is ground access. Although the airport sits beside NH‑3 en.wikipedia.org , the last 5–6 km of road from the highway is narrow and twisty through villages. Poor pavement and signage deter passengers. Recognizing this, Punjab’s PWD has proposed a ₹40 crore project to four-lane and upgrade the 5.5 km link road to the airport hindustantimes.com . Once completed (tenders to be floated soon), this will shorten travel time from Jalandhar/Hoshiarpur and improve comfort. Better access would enlarge Adampur’s catchment area, making the airport far easier for travelers in Doaba to use. Until such upgrades are in place, an incident of note illustrates the issue: Hindon’s own expansion has run into last-mile connectivity woes, with passengers stranded outside due to lack of cabs hindustantimes.com . Adampur’s management should similarly press for better taxi stands and reliable shuttles to Jalandhar. In summary, smoother road links (e.g. a proper NH-grade entry) are essential before any new routes can truly take off. Policy and Subsidy Measures UDAN already provides some relief to airlines at Adampur. By scheme rules, operators are exempt from landing/parking fees at UDAN-served airports and get discounts on route/navigation charges timesofindia.indiatimes.com . The government also caps fuel excise at 2% (and many states have cut ATF VAT to 1%) for flights on RCS routes timesofindia.indiatimes.com . These incentives help keep fares down, but more could be done. For example, authorities could lower passenger service fees or rental charges for small airports like Adampur (some state governments already waive taxes at regional airports). They might extend or increase Viability Gap Funding for routes that still under-perform after launch. Discounting airport taxes even further (or subsidizing ticket costs) on key routes to Delhi could jump-start demand. Another idea is to match road subsidies: for instance, offering cash incentives to travelers (as was done briefly in Kerala for flights) or to airlines to operate loss-making sectors until traffic builds. The goal of all these measures would be to make flying from Adampur competitive with the comfortable alternatives. Until the break-even load factor (~70–80%+ on an ATR/jet) is reached, targeted subsidies or tax breaks are likely needed. This is especially true for a scheme airport: without ongoing support, its routes may otherwise remain “ghost” services. Environmental and Fuel Implications A final angle is carbon impact. Shifting just a fraction of travelers from road to air between Adampur and Delhi would have complex effects. On one hand, cars burn roughly 15 L of fuel per 100 km; a 400 km drive (Adampur–Delhi) emits ~100 kg CO₂ per vehicle. With 2 people per car, that’s ~200 kg CO₂ per trip. If 10,000 annual passengers switched from driving to flying, you’d eliminate about 500 tons of road CO₂ (20,000 passenger-trips × 25 kg CO₂). On the other hand, a turboprop burns roughly 600–800 kg of fuel per flight-hour. Two ATR flights a day (one out and back) might emit ~1.3 tons of CO₂ per day, or ~500 tons per year. Simple math suggests that if each flight carries 50+ people, the per-passenger CO₂ is actually lower than in two cars. In either case, reducing long drives is usually positive: a single short flight plus drive is almost always greener than two separate long drives. Therefore, from a carbon standpoint, enabling even a few flights to Delhi could cut net emissions. That can translate into tangible carbon credits or fuel savings for the region – another potential selling point for policymakers to support direct service. Conclusion In summary, Adampur’s UDAN routes are underperforming because passengers have better alternatives. Being routed via Hindon (far from Delhi) makes travel slow and awkward, which hurts revenues. By adding direct Adampur–Delhi flights (even a couple daily), airlines could tap unmet demand and greatly improve load factors. Complementary fixes – upgrading the access road hindustantimes.com , cutting small-airport taxes timesofindia.indiatimes.com , and offering temporary fare subsidies – would further tip the scales. With these steps, Adampur’s new terminal and UDAN funding can finally translate into a sustainable, growth-oriented regional air service, benefiting passengers, carriers, and the economy alike. ✈️ General Aviation & UDAN #UDANscheme #RegionalConnectivity #IndianAviation #UDANsuccess #FlyingForAll 📍Location Specific #AdampurAirport #JalandharToDelhi #DoabaRegion #PunjabAviation #Hoshiarpur 🚀 Connectivity & Infrastructure #ConnectAdampurToDelhi #DelhiFlightsNeeded #AirportAccess #ImproveConnectivity #NH3AccessRoad 💸 Economics & Policy #MakeUDANProfitable #ReduceAirportTaxes #ViabilityGapFunding #FlyAffordable #AviationPolicy 🌱 Environment & Carbon Savings #GreenAviation #CarbonCredits #SustainableTravel #FuelSavingFlights #ReduceEmissions 📣 Advocacy & Awareness #AirlinkForDoaba #FlyFromAdampur #AdampurNeedsDelhi #SupportRegionalAirports #BoostLocalEconomy Sources: Authoritative aviation news and government data were used throughout aviationa2z.com en.wikipedia.org linkedin.com hindustantimes.com hindustantimes.com timesofindia.indiatimes.com , as cited.