Durgapur airport draws traffic with flight to Delhi

Flights to Durgapur began in May; Durgapur has several public sector undertakings and power-intensive industries

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.

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.