Kolkata: Northeast Shuttles, a non-scheduled chartered airline, is keen on introducing daily flights on the Kolkata-Cooch Behar sector. The airline operates flights between Guwahati, Sichar, Aizwal, Dimapur and Lilabari with an 18-seater Dornier aircraft and Aizwal, Imphal and Silchar with a nine-seater Cessna aircraft.
"Northeast Shuttles managing director Shoba K Mani has expressed interests in operating flights between Kolkata and Cooch Behar. If things move according to plan, operations can begin in 10 days," said Airports Authority of India (AAI) regional executive director Gautam Mukherjee.
The airline has evaluated a price band of Rs 4,000-4,500 for a flight to Kolkata from Cooch Behar.
Cooch Behar was severed from the aviation map after Vayudoot ceased services in the early 1990s. Attempts to reconnect it began five years ago when Gopinath expressed interests in operating ATR flights. After a test flight, operations never took off as Kingfisher Airlines bought no-frills carrier Deccan Airlines.
Cooch Behar, however, was not ready for ATR service as its runway length is 3,500 ft against the required 4,500 ft. Hopes were revived when Gopinath returned with non-scheduled airline Deccan Charters that operated smaller turboprop aircraft. When the carrier was to commence services last month after a six-month wait for Directorate General of Civil Aviation's nod, the company that had leased the aircraft to Deccan Charters backed out, leaving the airline without a plane.
09/03/11 Times of India
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