Star Air all set to launch Ahmedabad-Purnia flight

Patna: The skies over Purnia will come alive on Sept 15 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the newly constructed Purnia airport. The project marks a milestone for Bihar as the facility becomes the state’s fourth operational civilian airport after Patna, Gaya and Darbhanga, boosting connectivity for the Seemanchal and Kosi regions.Coinciding with the inauguration, Star Air will commence its maiden operations with a direct flight between Ahmedabad and Purnia under the Centre’s UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme. The airline will deploy its Embraer E-175 aircraft with 76 seats, including 12 in business class. The inaugural flight is scheduled to depart Ahmedabad at 12.15pm and land in Purnia at 2.45pm with the return journey departing at 3.15pm and reaching Ahmedabad at 5.45pm after a 2.5-hour trip.Regular services will start from Sept 29, operating on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday every week. An official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said, “The inauguration of the maiden flight will take place on Sept 15. After that, regular operations will commence from Sept 29. Flight booking has already commenced for this sector.”According to travel websites, booking for flight S5-618 (Ahmedabad-Purnia) is priced at Rs 6,024, while S5-619 (Purnia-Ahmedabad) costs Rs 6,325.

IndiGo has shown interest in operating flights from Purnia to Delhi and Kolkata, while Air India officials have already inspected the facilities at Chunapur’s IAF airbase. Both airlines are expected to begin services by next month, with potential future routes to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai.The interim terminal building at Purnia has been constructed over 3,000 square metres at an estimated cost of Rs 34 crore. The single-storey facility includes six check-in counters, one conveyor belt and two hand baggage machines. It has a peak-hour passenger handling capacity of 300.The opening of Purnia airport is expected to not only improve regional connectivity but also spur economic growth, tourism and investment opportunities across north-eastern Bihar.