CHENNAI: The daily flight between Chennai and Salem launched under the Udan scheme is getting popular almost six months after launch. The 72-seat flight has an average seat occupancy rate of 78%, but its fares continue to remain high.The flight offers same day return between Chennai and Salem. However, with only one airline operating the route, monopoly has led to an increase in fare during weekends and festive holidays. One-way ticket from Chennai to Salem was sold at Rs 7,000 for travel on December 22 and Rs 4,000 on December 23.The starting fare for travel on Monday is Rs 4,699 and hovers between Rs 2,599 and Rs 3,700 for the rest of the days. The fare is lower than last week because Friday and Saturday were the popular days for travel for Christmas weekendThe fare shoots up once 50% of the seats, which have a fare cap of Rs 2,500, is sold out. The rest of the seats can be sold at market rate. Fare is in the range of Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 if booked 10 days in advance.High seat occupancy shows that the flight is a success, said AAI. Despite the demand, other airlines have not showed interest to operate flights on the route. The idea behind Udan is to open up an unserved or under-served airport with subsidies so airlines will be encouraged to operate more flights. Udan flights to other towns like Thanjavur, Vellore and Neyveli are yet to take off.Basheer Ahmed, of Metro Travels said, “There is demand for travel on the route from businessmen, families including wedding guests. People who come down from Mumbai and Delhi use the flight to reach Salem quicker. Demand during festivals trigger one-way fares to peak to Rs 10,000.”An airline official said selling tickets at high rates or without a cap may not work in the long run, especially when it is a short route, that can be covered by road in less than five hours.Nevertheless, AAI considers Salem a success story for Udan scheme. “With more than 78% of Passenger Load Factor (PLF), the 50 min Salem-Chennai-Salem route is boosting industrial development of the region . Thanks to Udan’s affordable pricing, now local businessmen can expand their business & migrant workers can stay connected with families,” said a tweet by AAI headquarters. AAI also said, airports of tier 2 & tier 3 cities have seen a rise in domestic passenger share by more than 3% between financial year 2014 and financial year 2019.