SHILLONG, Jan 12: The state government has given a week to Flybig to reply to the showcause notice served on the airline after it failed to continue with the Shillong-Delhi flight service.
A government official said the airline has time till this week to reply to the showcause notice, adding the government will examine the reply before deciding on any steps.
The official also said that any action against the airline has to be decided by the higher authorities but the government will first examine the reply.
The Shillong-Delhi flight service was inaugurated with much fanfare in December last year.
Flybig has been denied office space at Shillong airport after an agreement on the same expired on December 15, sources said.
Earlier, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had said Flybig was facing a challenge in procuring an aircraft on wet-lease but tied up with SpiceJet for a Q400 aircraft and started service under pressure from the state government.
Sangma had also said that SpiceJet is not extending the contract with Flybig and as such, the latter is unable to continue with its flight service.
Wet-lease is an arrangement to hire an aircraft including with a flight crew and sometimes fuel.
According to AAI Shillong, the footfall of passengers at the airport in December was 10,777, which is three times the number during pre-COVID times.
In the same month, 254 aircraft movement had taken place from the airport.
Meanwhile, new flights are likely to be added to the Shillong airport during the summer schedule that starts from April.