LUCKNOW, Nov. 7 -- The Uttar Pradesh government's ambitious plan to link its key spiritual and eco-tourism destinations by helicopter and small aircraft has failed to take off, nearly a year after the department of tourism and culture announced the services connecting Ayodhya, Dudhwa, Kashi, Chitrakoot and Naimisharanya. Officials with the UP Eco-Tourism Development Board, which was tasked with running the charter operations, admit that the routes were never properly studied for passenger demand. "There was no market survey, no clarity on operational costs and no confirmed passenger load," said an insider familiar with the project. "The announcement came first, the planning later and now, the project is in limbo." On November 25 last year, tourism and forest ministers Jaiveer Singh and Arun Kumar Saxena inaugurated an air service to Dudhwa National Park. The service, which was to cut travel time from Lucknow to Dudhwa from four hours to 45 minutes, promised to revolutionise eco-tourism in Terai region. The one-way fare was fixed at Rs 5,000, with four flights a week. But after the inaugural run, attended by top bureaucrats, the plane never flew again. "There hasn't been a single commercial flight since the inauguration. The aircraft were repositioned and the project went cold within weeks because there were not sufficient passengers on route," confirmed a tourism department official. "In the absence of proper passenger load, poor publicity and poor promotional activities, the air services have fallen flat. No one did the ground work before making big announcements," said an official. The grander plan to connect Lucknow, Varanasi, Mathura, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur to Ayodhya by air has also been quietly shelved. The helicopter services, initially scheduled to start on January 26 last year, were to operate from Lucknow's Ramabai Ambedkar Rally Ground. Six helicopters were to be split between Lucknow and Ayodhya, offering a 30-40 minute journey for six to eight passengers at fares starting from Rs 3,539. The plan included 'aerial darshan' packages for pilgrims visiting the Ram temple. Officials had even announced a detailed fare chart, which was Rs 14,159 for flights from Lucknow or Varanasi to Ayodhya, Rs 11,327 from Gorakhpur and Rs 35,399 from Mathura or Agra. But none of these services materialised. "After initial announcements, nothing took place," said a senior official of the department. Principal secretary (tourism and culture) Amrit Abhijat said, "I have just taken charge, but I plan to hold a meeting on this matter next week. As I have been informed, some problems were faced by operators due to heavy parking charges at Lucknow airport - for private vendors, these charges were quite high, making operations unviable for service providers. Hence, an alternative site at Ramabai Ambedkar Park was explored." He added: "There are logistical challenges, and currently, passenger demand during the proposed hours is limited. Operators are unwilling to fly only on weekends and keep their choppers grounded for the rest of the week. To make the service feasible, the department will need to launch a strong outreach and awareness campaign to boost passenger numbers. We are confident that these issues will be resolved soon, and helicopter services will become a regular feature in Lucknow."...