SHILLONG, March 3: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma is optimistic the Shillong-New Delhi flight service will resume within this month.
FlyBig, which was assigned the task of operating the Shillong-Delhi flight, has not been able to do the job since last year and this had made the state government issue a show-cause notice to the airlines.
Sangma said the state government has not invested any money on the company and it is paid on flight-basis, he said. “If they fly, they get money and if they don’t, they don’t get it,” the CM said, adding that the entire initiative was taken by following a tendering process.
He said the company will get some viability gap funding as long as it flies and if it does not fly, it will not get anything.
It was learnt the CM was communicated that the company is planning to resume the services within this week but it is facing some issues pertaining to clearance.
“They are working on it and they have also asked us to work on it. We will give them whatever support is required. We should be able to resume the services within this month,” Sangma said.
FlyBig was booking passengers on traveling websites without the approval of DGCA. Later, it withdrew booking following objections. Officials at the Shillong airport asked the company to submit different details before the airport allots space to it for operation.