[ Bengia Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, 15 Nov: In a major setback to the air connectivity in the state, the Flybig airline has halted its operations across the northeast region. The decision has been taken as aircraft belonging to the company are undergoing maintenance in Kolkata and Hyderabad respectively. Due to this, the flight service between Hollongi and Guwahati (Assam) has stopped, along with Guwahati-Pasighat and Guwahati-Tezu. A senior official of Flybig informed that flights on these routes will probably resume only in the 1st week of January.
“We were expecting the delivery of bigger aircraft and had hoped to put them into service, especially in the Hollongi-Guwahati sector. This sector is one of the best-performing in the entire NE region, and flights mostly operate at full capacity. But unfortunately, we have not received the aircraft, and our existing aircraft are undergoing major maintenance,” informed an official of Flybig. When Flybig started flight service between Hollongi and Guwahati, the state government stopped the chopper service between Naharlagun and Guwahati. With both chopper and flight services now unavailable, especially for medical patients, people are facing difficult times.
“We are aware that people who need medical attention are facing a lot of trouble. We will conduct a review meeting soon and, if needed, will take action in the interest of the people,” said secretary of civil aviation Swapnil M. Naik.
In January 2023, Flybig started the flight service between Guwahati and Hollongi. Following the start of flight service, the state government discontinued the helicopter service between Naharlagun and Guwahati from 1 April onwards. The decision was taken considering the poor passenger turnout on this route following the commencement of flight services from the Hollongi airport. The civil aviation department chose to shift the base for the Naharlagun-Guwahati-Tawang helicopter service to Guwahati. At present, the helicopter flies twice a day to Tawang from Guwahati, ferrying passengers.
