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West Bengal Aviation

210K views 1K replies 88 participants last post by  Anvesh AB 
#1 · (Edited)
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.
 
#159 ·
Mamata inaugurates Kolkata-Durgapur-New Delhi flight

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today inaugurated the long awaited Kolkata-Durgapur- New Delhi flight connecting the industrial city of Durgapur directly with the national capital.

Banerjee, who boarded the flight after inaugurating it here on her way to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that Air India would start operating on this sector thrice-a-week from December 21.

At present, Air India operates a small flight between Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport in Kolkata and Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport (KNIA) at Andal in Durgapur. With this, New Delhi has been added to the route.

Initially, Air India will operate the 122-seater, Airbus-319 aircraft on this new sector every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

This service would help in growth of industry, commerce and tourism in the region, the Chief Minister said before boarding the inaugural flight.

She also complimented Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL) for the world-class experience being offered to travellers at the country's first private greenfield airport in Durgapur.

This new route, in addition to the existing connectivity between Durgapur and Kolkata, will ensure hassle-free travel for the 1.1 crore population of the catchment area.

The scheduled commercial flight [Flight No. AI 733] will depart from Kolkata at 8.30 AM and arrive in Durgapur at 9.00 AM. It will take off at 9.30 AM and reach New Delhi at 11.45 AM.

On the return leg, Flight No. AI 734 will take off from New Delhi at 12.35 PM and reach Durgapur at 2.40 PM. It will depart Durgapur's KNIA at 3.20 PM and reach NSCBI in Kolkata, at 3.50 pm. .
 
#162 ·
Mamata takes first Andal flight to Delhi

- Chief minister promotes country’s first greenfield airport but questions on viability remain




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.
 
#163 ·
Durgapur-Delhi flight will help industry & tourism: CM

Dec 08 2015 : The Times of India (Kolkata)

At 31 minutes, it was the shortest flight that Captain K K Kejriwal had undertaken. For the passengers in the Airbus A319, it was pretty much the same. The plane took off from Kolkata airport on Monday afternoon and touched down at Andal even before the 122 passengers on the flight had settled down.

While this leg of the flight was exciting, it was the next two-and-a-half-hour leg from Andal to Delhi that made history , connecting the industrial hub to the Capital and realizing the long-cherished dream of thousands of executives and residents.

“This flight will help the growth of industry , commerce and also tourism in the region,“ said chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who travelled on the maiden flight. Regular service will, however, commence only on December 21 with flights every Monday , Wednesday and Friday . The current ATR-42 service between Kolkata and Andal will be withdrawn.

Partho Ghosh of Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL), the private firm that developed the greenfield airport, said: “The AI service will help people of the region to reach Delhi for work, study , treatment, pilgrimage or just leisure with much greater ease.“

Read more at -

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/...-will-help-industry-tourism-CM-08122015001079

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AI banks on Asansol, Durgapur

Dec 08 2015 : The Times of India (Kolkata)

AI is banking on the esti mated 1.1 crore popula tion residing in the Asansol-Durgapur belt and extending up to Dhanbad who will benefit from the connection.

Also on board the inaugural flight were industrialists Harsh Neotia, Sanjay Budhia and Utsav Parekh (one of the BAPL promoters) along with healthcare investor Dr Satyajit Bose, Durgapur Steel Plant CEO PK Singh and a clutch of bureaucrats like state chief secretary Sanjoy Mitra, transport principal secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay and Burdwan district magistrate Soumitra Mohan.

“This is going to be a gamechanger. It will significantly cut travel time. Earlier Rajdhani Express was our fastest mode to reach Delhi from here, unless one drove to Kolkata to catch a flight. In addition, the Durgapur-Asansol belt is dotted with central PSUs. Neighbouring Dhanbad could also benefit from these,“ said a DSP executive.

Read more at -

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/...l=AI-banks-on-Asansol-Durgapur-08122015006036
 
#165 ·
I would vouch for mumbai.. delhi being the capital gets steady passengers from this area. though you can still board rajdhani and reach delhi in 13-14 hours from dhanbad. its a overnight journey mainly.
mumbai ,being the financial nucleus, should be the next place to connect. the rail connectivity is not really good as none of howrah mumbai trains passes through here. minimum travel time by train is 35 hours. A kolkata- durgapur-mumbai flight will cut short the time to jusr 2-3 hours.
 
#169 ·
Read some where that when the flight formally starts it will be a morning dep from CCU and late evening dep from DEL. If this happens then AI will get good no. of pax since many PSU executives will find it convenient.

Going forward a GAU/Bagdogra - Andal- MAS/BLR 100 seater flight or Andal-Bhubneswar-MAS/BLR can be a workable option with the South players like ABC Airways/Air Costa trying out the same. However, not sure if they are allowed to fly into East.
 
#172 ·
Direct Durgapur-Delhi flight makes debut

Durgapur, 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://www.newkerala.com/news/2015/fullnews-165951.html
 
#173 ·
Durgapur-Delhi flights a hit with local flyers

The Durgapur-Delhi and Delhi-Durgapur sector in Air India's maiden commercial flight operated at near capacity on Monday , allaying concerns that it would take a while for loads to pick up on this new route. A bulk of the load, however, comprised of passengers who were travelling between Kolkata and Delhi and opted to take the onestop flight due to the attractive fare on offer.

On Monday , flight AI733 took off from Kolkata with 93 passengers on board, including seven travelling to Durgapur. From Durgapur, 29 passengers boarded the flight to travel to Delhi. Thus the 122-seater Airbus A319 aircraft had 115 passengers on board when it took off from Andal airport near Durgapur. On the return leg, 119 passengers boarded the flight from Delhi. While 17 disembarked at Durgapur, six passengers boarded the flight and it took off for Kolkata with 108 passengers.

Subsequent flights (the flight will operate three timesa-week on Monday , Wednesday and Friday) till January 4 already have 60-80%-plus load that will go up further as the departure date draws close. “It is a blockbuster takeof with the first week's flights ne arly booked to capacity ,“ said Partha Ghosh, managing di rector of Bengal Aerotropolis Pvt Ltd (BAPL), the developer of the greenfield airport.

Though the load is prima rily owing to passengers fly ing between Kolkata and Del hi, Ghosh is confident that high demand between Durga pur and Delhi will attract mo re flights. “We are sure that the people of Durgapur and its catchment area will welcome the direct connectivity with the national capital. Till now people from this region had to travel all the way to Kolkata or Ranchi airport, some 200 km away , to catch their preferred flights to New Delhi or else where,“ he said.

The Asansol-Durgapur belt has a population of 1.1cro re and is home to several po wer-intensive industries. The bustling industrial region has a large number of executives and businessmen travelling to various parts of the country on work. The BAPL management is hopeful that the demand for more flights will attract other carriers to the airport.

Built over 650 acre, the airport has a 2,800-metre runway and is equipped with CAT I instrument landing system (ILS) that makes it possible for all domestic airlines to operate in an out of the airport.

The airport's apron has four parking bays and an isolation parking bay . The 5,750-sq m passenger terminal building has a capacity of one million passengers per annum. It has six check-in counters in the departure lounge and two baggage conveyor belts at the arrival hall.

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/...lights-a-hit-with-local-flyers-22122015015029
 
#174 ·
Mamata to inaugurate Kolkata-Digha chopper service today

West 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://echoofindia.com/digha-mamata-inaugurate-kolkata-digha-chopper-service-today-100754
 
#176 ·
Fly or drive, difference just an hour

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday flagged off a Calcutta-Digha weekly helicopter service for which a resident in the heart of the Bengal capital would have to travel an hour and a half to reach the Behala airstrip.

From Behala, a seven-seater Pawan Hans chopper is scheduled to take off every Saturday and reach Digha in 45 minutes. But the total travel time would be around two hours and fifteen minutes for a person staying in central Calcutta. Reaching Digha by road from the metro takes a little more than three hours.

While the time difference is approximately an hour, the pocket pinch differs significantly.

A one-way chopper ride will cost a passenger Rs 2,000 but a one-way air-conditioned bus ticket from Esplanade to Digha Rs 300. Trains from Howrah reach Digha in a little over three hours. An AC chair car on the Tamralipta Express comes for Rs 370.

Helicopter services were started in several other parts of the state such as in Cooch Behar and Bolpur, but were discontinued within a few months for lack of passengers.

The service between Calcutta and Bolpur was stopped because the helipad is 4km away from the Birbhum town. The passengers had to hire a car to reach the helipad.
 
#177 ·
Durgapur airport draws traffic with flight to Delhi

Things 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.
http://www.business-standard.com/ar...ffic-with-flight-to-delhi-115122600659_1.html
 
#178 ·
Now another fatal move

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.
 
#179 ·
Cooch Behar to have flight service from tomorrow

West Bengal government in collaboration with Bengal Aerotropolis Project Limited (BAPL) will launch the Kolkata-Durgapur-Bagdogra-Cooch Behar flight service tomorrow.

Announcing this here today, state Transport Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said this dream project of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would enable those living in North Bengal avail the flight from Cooch Behar instead of coming to Bagdogra.

The service would be highly subsidised with the participation of both the stake holders, he said.

Partha Ghosh, Managing Director of Bengal Aerotropolis Project limited, had earlier said that it would be the company s New Year gift to the state.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had inaugurated the long awaited Kolkata-Durgapur-New Delhi flight early this month connecting the industrial city directly with the national capital to boost the growth of industry, commerce and tourism in the region.
 
#184 ·
Kolkata to Digha helicopter service - a new high?

So, news of the recently launched helicopter service from Kolkata to Digha has put you in good spirits and you can't wait to avail its services. But did you know, such has been the response that tickets have sold out till February! A hit or a flop -while the jury is still out on the chopper service, tourism experts and travel enthusiasts talk about the “new high“.
UNPRECEDENTED RESPONSE

Within the first two days of the launch (on December 26 last year), tickets for the next one month were sold out.“Evidently , the helicopter services have been a huge success. Our department is glad with the response,“ says a senior flying officer from the state transport department. On being asked about frequency of the services, he adds, “The chopper operates once a week -every Saturday . It starts at 10.30 am from Behala airport and reaches Digha at 11.15 am. It returns at 2 pm, the same day.“

TRAVELLERS NOT IMPRESSED

Not every traveller is delighted with the frequency at which the chopper operates. Says Raghav Bajaj, a Durgapur resident, who works in a Salt Lake MNC, “I was really excited when I heard about the services. I thought, I'd take a ride on Saturday , spend 2 nights, 2 days in Digha and take a return flight on Monday . But they only have this service once a week. And, nowadays, who has the time to spend a week in Digha!“ Elaborating on the seating issue, Priti, a Baranagar resident, says, “There's only one copter with 7 seats? Seriously? There are 9 members in our family . Baaki dujon ki kole boshe jabe? There should have been at least two copters per day .“

 
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