SpiceJet mulls Sikkim flights :airline is likely to operate flights only from and to Delhi

Airline is likely to operate flights only from and to Delhi, but possibility of resuming Pakyong-Calcutta service depends on operator’s convenience

The terminal of the Pakyong airport in Sikkim: File picture

Rajeev Ravidas   |   TT  |  Gangtok   |   23.02.23 :  SpiceJet is set to resume commercial flights to and from the Pakyong Airport tentatively from March 26, almost five months after suspending its service to Sikkim’s lone air link at October-end last year.

Rajendra Grover, the director of the Pakyong Airport, told The Telegraph that SpiceJet had recently sounded the airport authorities if the facility was ready to resume flight operations, and the reply was in the affirmative.

“We have conveyed to them that the airport is ready for flight operations, and SpiceJet is welcome to resume the operations,” he said, adding that the tentative date of the flight resumption was March 26.

To begin with, the airline is likely to operate flights only from and to Delhi, but the possibility of resuming the Pakyong-Calcutta service depends on the operator’s convenience. SpiceJet could not be reached for its comments.

Grover said the airport had been in operation during the past  four months when SpiceJet had suspended its flights with many chartered flights, and survey and defence planes landing and taking off from the airstrip.

“SpiceJet had suspended air services due to, what they told us, ‘operation reasons’, but they did not clarify as to what the operation reasons were. What we understand, though, is they had a shortage of aircraft,” he said.

Grover said the airport authorities were also in talks with other airlines to introduce services to and from Pakyong.

“We have invited Flybig Airlines, and they have told us they will conduct a feasibility study and get back to us,” he said.

The Pakyong Airport has had a stop-start flight since it was inaugurated in September 2018. Seven months into its operation, commercial flights were suspended for almost 20 months because of various teething problems. It also had to deal with frequent cancellations of flights because of adverse weather conditions initially.

Courtesy & source- the Telegraph