Cooch Behar to have flight service from Dec 31

The Kolkata-Durgapur-Bagdogra-Cooch Behar flight service will be inaugurated on December 31.

The state government in collaboration with Bengal Aerotropolis Project Limited will launch the project. In May, 2015 the trial run of Pinacle air was successfully.

Partha Ghosh, managing director of Bengal Aeritropolis project limited, said that it would be the company’s New Year gift to the state. 

It was a dream project of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The flight service will benefit those staying in north Bengal as they can catch the flight from Cooch Behar instead of coming to Bagdogra.  

It may be recalled that during the British period there was a helicopter service to Cooch Behar and other districts. There are remains of airstrips in every district.

In the past 34 years, no step was taken by the erstwhile Left Front government to improve the transportation. After coming to power, Banerjee took the initiative and the Andal-Delhi route has become quite popular among the flyers.

Incidentally, it may be mentioned that Durgapur-Kolkata flight service was inaugurated early in December. Some more projects of connecting various towns with flight services are likely to come up in the state. 

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

Banerjee went to Delhi by boarding the flight after the inauguration. 

The new service has immensely helped in the growth of industry, commerce and tourism in the region. 

The new flight service between Durgapur and Delhi comes as an attempt to ensure hassle free travel for 1.1 crore population in Durgapur. 

The 122-seater, Airbus-319 Air India aircraft has been operating thrice a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.