By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Air travelers from Shillong have been made to suffer for the last four days due to last minute cancellation of flight at Umroi Airport.
An official source on Monday while confirming the last minute cancellation of flight said blamed it on unavailability of aircraft as well as shortage of operation crew.
“At the moment only the 45-seater subsidiary aircraft of the Air India is operating from Umroi,” sources said adding that the Air India at present has a limited number of these aircraft at its disposal.
One of the two aircraft captains, who are familiar with the hilly terrain of Meghalaya, recently put in his papers, sources said adding that due to this the authorities are facing great difficulties in continuing Shillong-Kolkata and vice versa service.
Terming it as a perennial problem, sources said, “this time the problem has arisen at a wrong time. The tourists are starting to visit the State since it is a festive season. It is huge loss for Air India.”
Meanwhile, official sources said the Government was making an effort to bring huge aircraft by developing the infrastructures in the airport.Besides the recently inaugurated terminal, official sources said that the Government was contemplating to increase the length of the run way and also construct a parking bay.”At the moment, only one aircraft can be parked in the airport since there is no parking bay,” official sources said adding that the Instrumental Landing System (ILS) would soon be installed in the airport. “We have been informed that private operator Kingfisher had already made an inspection of the airport,” sources added.