By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The North East Council (NEC) which has floated a fresh Expression of Interest (EoI) for airline services to and from the Shillong Airport has received only two bidders who have shown willingness to operate their flights from the Umroi airport.
Sources from the NEC on Sunday said that only North East Shuttles and Seven Sisters Airlines have responded to the EOIs.
As per reports, the Kolkata-based North East Shuttles, a private airline service provider, does not have good track record as it had to closed shop in the Northeast after launching a nine-sitter flight to and from the Shillong Airport in 2008.
Seven Sisters Airlines on the other hand is a unfamiliar name even to some people in the aviation sector.
It is also to be known if big players like Indigo, Jet airways among others had taken part in the bidding process.
It is learnt that a meeting would be convened on March 14 and 15 for the evaluation of the two bids which have been received from the airline companies.
Earlier, five private operators Pawan Hans, Indo Power Projects, Quickjet Cargo, Seven Sisters Airlines and Northeast Shuttles had attended the pre-bidding exercise.
According to sources, though two bids have been received, the NEC would evaluate and verify both the bids minutely before coming to a decision.
The Umroi Airport has been wearing a deserted look ever since Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, decided to withdraw its flights from northeast airports, including Tezpur, Lilabari and Umroi in January.
Alliance Air, while suspending its service in NE region had blamed the North Eastern Council (NEC) for failing to pay pending dues to the state-owned carrier.
However, the NEC clarified that the decision to scrap the agreement signed with Air India to continue the service of Alliance Air in the region, was a unanimous one taken by the Chief Ministers and Governors of the various Northeastern states during the 61st NEC Plenary held in June, 2012.