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After nearly two decades since the last Vayudoot flight took off, Cooch Behar airport in North Bengal, will feature yet again on the air-map of West Bengal. Come September 5 (Monday), commercial operations will start between Cooch Behar and Kolkata.
This, incidentally, will be the third operational airport in the State after Kolkata and Bagdogra. The last flight operations at Cooch Behar took place in the 1990s, when Vayudoot – an erstwhile joint venture between Air India and Indian Airlines — was operational.
North East Shuttles Private Ltd — a non-scheduled airline — has been granted permission to operate 18-seat Dornier 228 aircraft for five days week under a State Government subsidy scheme.
“We have received permission from the Government to start operations from September 5,” Capt. Shoba K. Mani, Managing Director, North East Shuttles Pvt Ltd, told Business Line . North East Shuttles is an Rs 15-crore company, operating on several routes in the north-eastern states of Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Nagaland. It has three aircrafts – two Dorniers and one Cessna Caravan – in its fleet.
State subsidy
Flight operations between the Kolkata-Cooch Behar route will commence five days a week — except on Wednesdays and Sundays. A one way trip will cost Rs 5,000.
In order to popularise air services, the West Bengal Government will provide a subsidy of eight seats based on occupancy. This means that the Government will pay for a maximum of eight unoccupied seats in every trip. The subsidy will be continued for six months.
Modernisation
Cooch Behar airport has a capacity of 50 passengers per trip and a small runway of 3,200 feet. Modernisation of the airport — that included construction of a terminal building and an air traffic control cum fire building station — was carried out by the Airports Authority of India between 2007 and 2009 at a cost of nearly Rs 40 crore.
Initial plans to start operations saw initiatives from Deccan Charter, which applied for daily services with an 18-seater Beechcraft 1900 Delta aircraft.
“However, licensing issues held back flight operations,” said Mr Gautam Mukherjee, Regional Executive Director, AAI.
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