NASHIK, SEPT 28: Nashik is back on the airmap of the country after a lapse of about two years, with a private air taxi operator operating a weekly Mumbai-Nashik-Mumbai flight.The privately owned Gujarat Airways has offered a weekend package for passengers from Mumbai visiting Shirdi. Accordingly, a 12 seater Beechcraft takes off on Saturday at 4 pm from Santa Cruz airport for Nashik. At Nashik, the aircraft lands at the Ojhar airport (about 20 km from Nashik city) from where passengers are taken to Shirdi by road in an airconditioned coach.After an overnight halt in Shirdi, the passengers are brought back to Ojhar, from where the return flight takes off at 9 am. The airline charges Rs 4,900 per head.However, the regularity of the flight depends on the availability of passengers. There have been occasions when flights were cancelled due to non-availability of passengers.The Ojhar airport belongs to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) which has a huge complex for the manufacture and overhauling of MiGseries of combat aircraft. HAL maintains an airstrip of 3,100 metres, but lacks night landing facilities.The airport is mainly used by HAL, Indian Air Force and by visiting dignitaries, apart from chartered flight operators. A project is in the pipeline for upgrading the Ojhar airport at the cost of about Rs 8 crore.HAL and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation are to jointly execute the project, which would include creation of passenger amenities and night landing facilities. At present, HAL uses kerosene gooselamps for night landing of aircrafts. Attempts are also being made by a private airline operator to start a regular flight between Nashik and Pune. The airline officials are exploring the possibility of introducing the service by December this year.
