Cooch Behar's wait for maiden flight continues

Kolkata: The wait continues. After two long decades, Cooch Behar airport was granted the go ahead by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over a week ago to operate flights. But services are unlikely to start till next month with operator Deccan Charters Ltd yet to receive a counter-guarantee on the service from the state government.
Deccan Charters had approached the state government for services close to a year ago and negotiated a 50% subsidy or payment for the final nine seats if they went vacant in the 18-seater aircraft. The airline has been operating services between Kolkata and Jamshedpur following a similar agreement with Tatas. But with the DGCA clearance for Cooch Behar taking nearly six months and then transport secretary Sumantra Chowdhury retiring, the airline is waiting for an official commitment from the state finance and transport department before commencing service.
10/02/11 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Feb 2011