Carrier has now suspended them till May 15
Shillong: The suspension of flights from Kolkata to Shillong has affected travellers badly.
Manesh Kumar Agrawal, director, Shillong airport, informed The Observer: “The Umroi Airport of Shillong is fully operational. However, there are no flights coming in.”
“We are getting phone calls regarding flight availability to Umroi as most of the Shillong residents prefer the comfort of Shillong airport due to safety precautions taken by the airport authorities. Also, it is less crowded than the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati, reducing the risk of getting infected by Covid-19,” he added.
IndiGo, which suspended flights between Kolkata and Shillong for eight days last month, has now extended the suspension until May 15 due to the continuous rise in Covid cases.
The Shillong airport authority tweeted that IndiGo had extended the suspension of its Shillong operations until May 15, but did not give any reason. But sources at the authority said the decision was taken in view the pandemic situation.
Febbard Lyngdoh, a student at SRFTI, Kolkata, who recently travelled to Shillong, shared: “I had to come home urgently due to rising case of Covid-19 in Kolkata. My first choice was Umroi airport.” But there was no flight available to Umroi.
“Umroi aiport was much safer and convenient for me and my parents to reach Shillong,” Lyngdoh added.
IndiGo suspended daily flights between Kolkata and Shillong for eight days starting April 22. The airport authority has advised fliers to approach the carrier with questions about flight rescheduling and refunds.
IndiGo representatives were unavailable for comment on the suspension of flights.
IndiGo connects only Kolkata to Shillong. According to an official, the private carrier resumed service on the route in February 2021 after closing it for nearly ten months due to Covid-19. The passenger load has increased to 90 per cent, he added.
queeneerich.k@iijnm.org
