Shimla: Air India started a direct flight between Kangra and Chandigarh on Saturday that takes only an hour. It takes six hours by road to cover the distance.

The 70-seater Air India aircraft will fly between the two cities six days a week from Monday to Saturday.

The first flight from Gaggal airport in Dharamshala, the district headquarters of Kangra, carrying 39 passengers took off at 8am on Saturday and landed at Chandigarh airport at 9.19 am before its scheduled arrival time of 9.30am. The flight left for Dharamshala at 9.38am with 32 passengers on board.

The fare for the flight between Chandigarh and Kangra has been fixed at Rs 1,712.

The flight will prove to be a boon for people, particularly patients, from Chamba and Kangra regions of Himachal Pradesh. It takes more than nine hours by road from Chamba to Chandigarh.