Flight services resume at Cooch Behar airport after week-long suspension; uncertainty looms

Cooch Behar: Flight services at Cooch Behar airport, which remained suspended for nearly a week without any official explanation, resumed on Thursday, offering temporary relief to stranded passengers. The sudden disruption had caused significant inconvenience, particularly as tickets for the nine-seater aircraft operating on the route are usually booked well in advance due to high demand and limited seating capacity.

India One Air, the operator of the Cooch Behar–Kolkata route, has already announced that it will continue services only until January 31, triggering widespread dissatisfaction among residents and regular flyers. Although flights resumed on Thursday for the first time in the new year, the airline has yet to clarify whether operations will continue uninterrupted in the coming weeks.

Confirming the resumption, Cooch Behar airport official Shubhashish Paul said: “The first flight of the new year operated on Thursday. The airline has not informed us of any further suspension of services, so flights are expected to continue for now. However, passengers have faced considerable hardship due to the sudden halt in operations.”

Airport sources revealed that the agreement between India One Air and the authorities under the Central government’s UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme is set to expire on February 22. While the airline currently receives government subsidies under the scheme, there is uncertainty over whether the agreement will be renewed, as the operator has already issued a notice expressing its intention to discontinue flights.

In the meantime, preliminary discussions have reportedly begun with another carrier, Jet Wings, which has proposed to operate a 42-seater aircraft on the route. A special inspection team is expected to assess airport infrastructure before any final decision is taken on the commencement of new services.

Passengers, however, remain concerned over the lack of clarity and consistency in air connectivity to the region.