State Govt. signs MoU with alliance air to operate Delhi-Shimla-Dharamshala flights
1 min readSHIMLA 6th April, 2026
Director, Tourism & Civil Aviation Vivek Bhatia today here said that Government of Himachal Pradesh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/s Alliance Air Ltd. to operate daily scheduled flights on the Delhi-Shimla and Shimla–Dharamshala routes, seven days a week. He said that the move was aimed at boosting tourism and strengthening regional air connectivity, creating a direct air link between the national capital, the state capital and Dharamshala.
He said that the services would be operated using an ATR 42-600 aircraft with 48 seats. The commercial operations were likely to start in the last week of April 2026. He said that both routes would be operated on 100 percent Viability Gap Funding (VGF), with the entire cost borne by the state government as Grant-in-Aid to Alliance Air. Total annual VGF outgo was pegged at Rs. 32.64 crore based on actual billing. The MoU is valid for 12 months from the date of commencement of operations.
Vivek Bhatia further said that this MoU would create a direct air link between the National Capital and Shimla, while also connecting Shimla with Dharamshala intra-state and is a significant step for tourism and accessibility in the state.
