This thread is meant to supplement the Kolkata Airport thread with news, pictures, and discussions about aviation in all of West Bengal. This can also include info about Kolkata Airport. Anyone is free to start the thread.
New Delhi, Dec. 7: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today arrived in Delhi in the first commercial flight to take off for the capital from Burdwan's Andal airport, the decision to take the inaugural flight capturing her desperation to promote the country's first greenfield private airport.
The project, conceived in 2006 by the Left Front government, had faced several hurdles ranging from problems over land acquisition to the viability of an airport just 220km from the one in Calcutta.
"With this air service from Durgapur to Delhi, we are increasing connectivity of south Bengal with the rest of the country.... People from neighbouring states like Jharkhand can also take flights from Andal," Mamata said before boarding the plane this afternoon.
Air India will operate flights thrice a week in the Calcutta-Andal-Delhi route from December 21. Singapore's Changi Airports International has a stake in the Andal facility.
Almost all 144 seats in the Airbus 319 were full today. Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL), the promoter of the Andal airport city project, had invited the passengers. The journey took around three-and-a-half hours, including the break in Andal. Flight time between Calcutta and Delhi is usually a little over two hours.
Aviation analysts said BAPL would face a challenge filling up flights on the route. Only if operations are viable will private airlines be attracted to use the Andal airport. The response of private players has been lukewarm so far.
Mamata has done her best to promote the airport by waiving the 30 per cent surcharge on sales tax on aviation turbine fuel so that airlines use Andal for refuelling. She has also reached out to Changi authorities to ensure that they remain involved in the project. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bengal earlier this year, he left for Delhi by boarding the air force flight from Andal on Mamata's request.
BAPL has worked out an arrangement with Air India through which it is providing viability gap funding to the airline to ensure that it doesn't incur losses on its operating costs on the Calcutta-Andal route. Passenger response to the 30-minute journey has been far less so far than what the promoters had expected.
"Sops from the government and the promise of recovery of operating costs will not be enough to lure other airlines. The market has to grow," an aviation analyst said.
Partha Ghosh, the managing director of BAPL, however, said the Calcutta-Andal-Delhi route would not require viability gap funding.
"Around 90 per cent of the seats are booked for the flight on December 21. Airlines need around 65 to 70 per cent occupancy to recover operating costs," Ghosh said.
According to him, BAPL was planning flights to Mumbai and south India in a phased manner.
An official of a private airline said the plans seemed "ambitious" as the viability of airlines and airports depended on the volume of business travellers. "Given the state of industry in Bengal, getting a steady flow of business travellers might not be easy," he said.
Several European airlines have conducted surveys on the feasibility of operating flights from Calcutta but the city has stayed off their radar because of the lack of corporate travellers in the business and first-class categories.
But some businessmen in the Durgapur-Asansol belt, the steel hub of the state, think that the airport in Andal will become viable in the next few years.
"We have got feedback from business travellers that direct air connectivity to the region will help business grow and the volume of passengers will also go up. We are bullish about the airport," said Kabi Dutta, the managing director of the Citi Residenci Group of Hotels.
http://www.newkerala.com/news/2015/fullnews-165951.htmlDurgapur, Dec 21 : Direct flights from Durgapur's Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport to New Delhi, which started on Monday, have got off to a flying start with Air India recording overwhelming bookings for its tri-weekly flights in the very first week of operations.
The huge response for the first flight itself shows the demand from the region.
Durgapurs Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, Indias first operational private Greenfield airport, developed by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited, is the latest addition to the countrys civil aviation network.
Air India will operate the 122-seater Airbus-319 aircraft on the Kolkata-Durgapur-New Delhi sector every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Partha Ghosh, Managing Director, BAPL, said: We were sure that the people of Durgapur and its catchment area would welcome direct connectivity with the national capital. Till now, the people from this region had to travel all the way to Kolkata or Ranchi airports, some 200 km away, to catch their preferred flights to New Delhi or elsewhere. We are overwhelmed and thankful for the blockbuster opening, which proves our belief that there exists tremendous potential in the ADPA region, that our Aerotropolis project and our Airport are poised to cater to.
The scheduled commercial flight [Flight No. AI 733] departs from Kolkata at 08:30am and arrives in Durgapur at 09:00 am. It takes off at 09:30 am and reaches New Delhi at 11:45 am. On the return leg, Flight No. AI 734 takes off from New Delhi at 12:35pm and reaches Durgapur at 02:40 pm. It departs Durgapurs KNIA at 03:20 pm and reaches Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, at 03:50 pm.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had graced the inaugural flight on Dec 7.
She had said that the Durgapur-Delhi service would help in the growth of industry, commerce and also tourism in the region. She had also complimented Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL) for the world-class experience offered to travellers at the countrys first private Greenfield airport.
http://echoofindia.com/digha-mamata-inaugurate-kolkata-digha-chopper-service-today-100754West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee today said that the beach town Digha and its surrounding areas would soon appear as beautiful tourist attraction with the agencies working on it to give it a shape.
Mamata, who arrived here on Monday evening, walked along the beach, visited various spots and held an administrative meeting today with the officials in the district and local civic bodies to discuss about the development of this beach town as part of the coastal area development plan. The chief minister would launch the helicopter service from Digha to Kolkata tomorrow before returning to Kolkata by helicopter. The new helipad at Digha would allow chopper rides from Kolkata to Digha.
http://www.business-standard.com/ar...ffic-with-flight-to-delhi-115122600659_1.htmlThings are looking up for the private airport at Durgapur after the flight from Kolkata, which went three-fourths empty for six months, was extended to New Delhi.
Air India's 42-seat ATR that flew between Kolkata and Durgapur made way for an 144-seat Airbus A-319 on Monday, which flew with only one in 10 seats empty.
Flights to Durgapur, which has several public sector undertakings and power-intensive industries, began in May. Executives of these companies were expected to take the 45-minute flight from Kolkata. According to travel agents, mainly government officials flew between the two cities in West Bengal earlier.
"It takes about three hours to reach Durgapur by road or rail. Considering an airtime of 45 minutes, check-in and check-out formalities, and baggage clearance procedures, people did not opt for the flight," a travel agent said.
Partha Ghosh, managing director of Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL), promoter of the airport, however, said, "The flight occupancy has been picking up by around 20 per cent, month on month. The ATR flight used to operate on a trial basis."
Ghosh said the first Airbus flight on the Kolkata-Durgapur-New Delhi route on December 21 had 90 per cent occupancy. "The Kolkata-Durgapur route being serviced by Air India was just the beginning," he said.
Durgapur airport draws traffic with flight to Delhi During the inItial months private carriers Pinnacle Air and Spirit Air also flew between Durgapur and Kolkata. However, the private operators soon stopped operations. "There are some regulatory issues with the state government. Once these are sorted out, we may resume operations," a Pinnacle Air executive said.
Ghosh, one of the three individual promoters in BAPL, in which an Indian subsidiary of Singapore's Changi Airports and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services hold stakes, said the next seven departures on the extended route had 90-100 per cent occupancy.
Air India flying the Airbus on the route thrice a week has drawn passengers from Durgapur, Asansol and Dhandbad. The flight is being operated on viability gap funding, implying the state-owned airline will not incur any losses on this route. "The flight will be subsidised by BAPL. We are hopeful this flight will be of help to passengers," an Air India spokesperson said.
The Durgapur airport enjoys a tax holiday on jet fuel for six years. BAPL is in talks with private airlines for flights to Mumbai and other cities. Bhutan Airlines has shown interest in a technical stop at the airport.
The industrial belt near the airport has a population of 11 million. Durgapur is connected to cities in West Bengal and Jharkhand, which may lead to a rise in air traffic from the new airport.
Flight of fancy: 2 hops over 3 hours- Plan to connect north despite flops
The government has announced flights to and from Cooch Behar from December 31 to show Bengal's success in bringing far-flung towns on the air map, days before the Bengal Global Business Summit, though statistics on such operations remain poor.
Aviation industry insiders said that for any company opting to run flights along the proposed route, it would cost around Rs 1.6 crore for flying 16 days a month. "But the figure quoted by the selected company is Rs 58 lakh. So one remains sceptical about the success of the initiative," said an industry source.
Nine-seater, fixed-wing planes will fly to Cooch Behar four days a week, linking Durgapur, Calcutta, Bagdogra and Cooch Behar over a three-and-a-half-hour journey for Rs 5,500 (minus taxes).The flights would be on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL), the developers of the airport in Andal, has selected Spirit Air Private Limited for running the flights to Cooch Behar after inviting tenders.
"The viability gap funding, after deducting the revenue from ticket sales, would be split equally between the government and BAPL," said a finance department official at Nabanna. The plan is to reimburse the airline in such a manner so that it doesn't suffer losses. "It is difficult to arrive at a figure but we are eyeing a possible monthly outgo of Rs 50 lakh, with the state paying for half the amount each month," he added.
Questions have started doing rounds on why someone should board a flight from Durgapur and hop two stops to reach Cooch Behar.
The Bagdogra-Cooch Behar ride will cost Rs 1,500, and from Calcutta to Cooch Behar, the price will be Rs 4,000.
Finance department officials cited the case of the Sagar Island chopper service, which when it runs in capacity earns Rs 21,000, when the operational cost is Rs 1.5 lakh. The state underwrites the loss of around Rs 1.3 lakh.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...a-Behar-starts-today/articleshow/50388398.cmsKOLKATA: The state government, in collaboration with Bengal Aerotropolis Project Limited (BAPL), will launch the Kolkata-Durgapur-Bagdogra-Cooch Behar flight service on Thursday.
Spirit Air^^ Related
Which airline is doing this flight ?
Flight from city to Kolkata Behar starts today
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...a-Behar-starts-today/articleshow/50388398.cms