Commercial flight operations begin at Purnia airport

Patna: Commercial flight operations commenced on Monday from the newly inaugurated interim terminal at Purnia Airport.This marks the state’s fourth operational civilian airport after Patna, Gaya and Darbhanga.

The maiden flight, IndiGo’s 6E-7924 from Kolkata, touched down at 1.29pm, carrying 36 passengers, symbolising a major step towards addressing rising air travel demand in the Seemanchal region.The aircraft was welcomed with the traditional water salute by two crash fire tenders.Upon arrival, the flyers were warmly greeted by IndiGo officials and airport staff with garlands and traditional welcomes.The return flight, 6E-7925, departed for Kolkata at 4.46pm with 39 passengers on board. The airline operates ATR-72 aircraft, with a capacity of 72 passengers. IndiGo will operate the Kolkata-Purnia-Kolkata flight thrice a week, under the govt’s UDAN scheme, with plans for expansion.Deep Prakash Gupta, director of Purnia Airport, told this reporter that it was a historic moment for all and the excitement was palpable. “Both IndiGo and Star Air operated today. IndiGo covers the Kolkata sector, and Star Air covers Ahmedabad. There were special arrangements for welcoming passengers with high tea,” he said.Star Air’s Ahmedabad flight S5-618 landed here at 4.20pm with 53 passengers and departed around 5pm with 64 passengers onboard.

The airline has deployed its Embraer E-175 aircraft with 76 seats, including 12 in business class. The airline will start its flight operation from Sept 29. The director further said that the response to both flights was good. “More flights will be added in the coming days as other airlines have also shown interest,” Gupta added.Purnia airport’s opening was hailed as historic by passengers Rajesh Kumar, Mayank Bageria, and Sunil Kumar, who celebrated shorter travel times and better connectivity.Omkar Nath Suman, senior manager (civil engineering), AAI, said, “The airport has been built in record time,” he said.