By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 5: Many direct flights from Umroi’s Shillong Airport to neighbouring cities have been suspended in recent times to puncture the Meghalaya government’s ambition to introduce flights to metropolises such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
After Indigo stopped its flights to and from Silchar and Agartala sometime ago, Alliance Air suspended its Shillong-Dimapur and Shillong-Guwahati flights although the Shillong-Dimapur service was quite popular. The suspension of the Shillong-Dimapur flight left many fliers disappointed as it was the quickest and cheapest mode of travel between the two cities for them. “We were flying for Rs 500-800 and saved a lot of time. Today, we have to travel 10 to 12 by bus or train, which takes a lot of time,” a regular flier said.
The flight helped many from Dimapur who have to visit Shillong for studies or medical check-ups.
Some fliers said the flight would have boosted tourism between Meghalaya and Nagaland as the states organise major events such as the Cherry Blossom Festival and the Hornbill Festival.
For others, the 20-minute Guwahati-Shillong flight was more convenient than the three-hour drive between the two cities. “If the government is serious about developing tourism, it must ensure more and more flights are available from the Shillong Airport,” a tourist said.
An official said Alliance Air stopped its operations after the period of viability gap funding, entailing fiscal support under the Regional Connectivity Scheme, ended.
Spice Jet also suspended its Shillong-Kolkata flight a few weeks ago and even the Shillong-Delhi flight, currently in operation, is only twice a week.
The available flights have become too expensive for many fliers. Alliance Air, for instance, is charging Rs 9,000-10,000 per person for its Shillong-Aizawl flight instead of Rs 3,000-4,000 earlier.
Airport officials expressed their helplessness about the ticket pricing and said the service providers have to take a call on this.
Lately, Alliance Air has started a direct flight between Shillong and Pasighat apart from operating two direct flights to Kolkata every day.