The service will operate every Monday, Friday and Saturday.

The Chief Minister also announced that helicopter services to Hamirpur, Chamba and Palampur would be started within the four months.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the initiative was not merely a means of travelling from one place to another, but also a symbol of changing times, new thinking and immense development opportunities in the hill state.

"It would reduce travel time, give a boost to tourism, promote local businesses and create new employment opportunities," he said, adding that efforts were underway to identify suitable land in Shimla to strengthen air connectivity and expand air services.

The Chief Minister said that the state government had set a target of connecting every corner of Himachal through helicopter services. The government was working with determination to provide people with convenient, accessible and reliable connectivity.

"The state government is bearing the entire cost of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for these flights. The government is spending approximately Rs 35.70 lakh per month on the service," he said.

He added that work was underway to construct and develop a total of 16 heliports across the state, including at all district headquarters, to further expand air transport facilities.

The Chief Minister said that the state government was also making sustained efforts to expand Kangra’s Gaggal Airport. The government had disbursed Rs 2,400 crore from its own resources to people towards land acquisition. He said that after the expansion of the airport, efforts would be made to connect all district headquarters through helicopter services. "This would promote tourism and help create new employment opportunities for local youth," he said.

"The vision of the present state government was to connect remote areas of Himachal Pradesh with better transport facilities, save people’s time and ensure that development opportunities reach every region," he said.