 "Carriers stay away from India's first private greenfield airport")
The road to India's first private greenfield airport now wears a desolate look, with three unmanned check-posts and overgrown bushes and shrubs lining the road leading to its entrance.
The police have barricaded vehicle entry into the immediate connecting lane in the arrival and departure sections as no vehicles can be seen plying near it.
In line with the closed booking counters, Buggie - a prepaid taxi start-up that started an airport counter has also closed shops. Only an Oriental Bank of Commerce ATM, just outside the airport can be seen in an operational state.
"Previously, passengers used to withdraw money but now it is used by the few airport staff only," the guard says.
The land adjoining to the airport is now used by the localities to graze cattle.
Ten years after this airport, christened Kazi Nazrul Islam airport (KNIA), was first conceived on the fringes of West Bengal's steel city, Durgapur, the project is yet to see full-scale scheduled flights operating out of the airport after state-owned carrier Air India pulled out citing operational issues last year.
Back in May last year, Air India commenced regular flight schedules with a 48-seater ATR aircraft between Kolkata and Durgapur that got upgraded to a 122-seater Airbus 319 (with an extended route - Kolkata-Durgapur-New Delhi) in December 2015. However, after six months of operations, the carrier discontinued the flight.
While Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) - the promoter of the airport - has been long trying to pursue other private airlines to commence operations, the airport is yet to see any regular flight schedules since June.
During the airport's inception last year, Pinnacle Air and other air taxis also operated initial flights from the Durgapur airport but later abandoned operations.
In January this year, it was rumoured that BAPL was in talks with private carriers Spicejet and GoAir to start operations. However, so far, none of them have spoken about any concrete plan to start scheduled services from KNIA.
Left with no scheduled operators connecting KNIA with any airports in the country, only non-scheduled chartered flights are operating at the airport.
While BAPL officials have stated that about 3-4 chartered flights are operating every week, sources at the airport say these flights are infrequent.
SAIL, which has its own aircraft, landed a chartered flight at KNIA in mid-August, when its chairman came for a visit to the Durgapur Steel Plant.
"When the Air India flight was operating, around 15-20 people landed in Durgapur from Kolkata on the 122-seater aircraft and about 70 people usually boarded the flight from KNIA towards New Delhi," a source at the airport said.
Also, during the Bengal Global Business Summit, held in January this year, BAPL signed an initial agreement with Druk Air to use KNIA as a technical stop point for the refuelling of their aircraft.
The West Bengal government has given a 100 per cent waiver on aviation turbine fuel surcharge for a period of three years to attract more flights to operate from the airport. Nevertheless, the airport continues to lay barren without any scheduled flights.
With Air India pulling out of the airport and private carriers not commencing flights despite the discussions, BAPL is now eyeing start-up carriers, and is in talks now with Zexus Air Services-owned Zoom Air to commence operations.
"Talks are on with a private airline to commence operations from KNIA. The services will be inaugurated during the festive season here," BAPL's managing director, Partha Ghosh said.
Zoom Air is scheduled to start operations on the New Delhi-Kolkata-Durgapur-Mumbai route with a 50-seater Bombardier CRJ-200LR aircraft.
"A smaller aircraft for a city like Durgapur is more suited than a larger one as there is more likelihood of the aircraft getting filled", said Koustav M Dhar, CEO, Zoom Air.
However, Zoom Air, which will be having a fleet of five 50-seater aircraft in the coming days, is yet to receive the mandatory Air Operators Permit from Directorate General of Civil Aviation .
"Obtaining this permit is in the last stage and we hope to get it anytime soon," he said.
For the time being, although the airport remains operational with a token security personnel and airport maintenance staff, Ghosh is optimistic that with more companies setting up their units in the Sujalaam Skycity project, the incoming population will feed KNIA - it will have the option of flying out to New Delhi or Mumbai from their own backyard.
Dhar said Zoom Air flights will enjoy waiver of landing and parking fees besides waiver of the ATF surcharge.
The police have barricaded vehicle entry into the immediate connecting lane in the arrival and departure sections as no vehicles can be seen plying near it.
In line with the closed booking counters, Buggie - a prepaid taxi start-up that started an airport counter has also closed shops. Only an Oriental Bank of Commerce ATM, just outside the airport can be seen in an operational state.
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The security guard manning the ATM says it is now used by the airport's employees only to withdraw cash or avail other services.
"Previously, passengers used to withdraw money but now it is used by the few airport staff only," the guard says.
The land adjoining to the airport is now used by the localities to graze cattle.
Ten years after this airport, christened Kazi Nazrul Islam airport (KNIA), was first conceived on the fringes of West Bengal's steel city, Durgapur, the project is yet to see full-scale scheduled flights operating out of the airport after state-owned carrier Air India pulled out citing operational issues last year.
Back in May last year, Air India commenced regular flight schedules with a 48-seater ATR aircraft between Kolkata and Durgapur that got upgraded to a 122-seater Airbus 319 (with an extended route - Kolkata-Durgapur-New Delhi) in December 2015. However, after six months of operations, the carrier discontinued the flight.
While Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) - the promoter of the airport - has been long trying to pursue other private airlines to commence operations, the airport is yet to see any regular flight schedules since June.
During the airport's inception last year, Pinnacle Air and other air taxis also operated initial flights from the Durgapur airport but later abandoned operations.
In January this year, it was rumoured that BAPL was in talks with private carriers Spicejet and GoAir to start operations. However, so far, none of them have spoken about any concrete plan to start scheduled services from KNIA.
Left with no scheduled operators connecting KNIA with any airports in the country, only non-scheduled chartered flights are operating at the airport.
While BAPL officials have stated that about 3-4 chartered flights are operating every week, sources at the airport say these flights are infrequent.
SAIL, which has its own aircraft, landed a chartered flight at KNIA in mid-August, when its chairman came for a visit to the Durgapur Steel Plant.
"When the Air India flight was operating, around 15-20 people landed in Durgapur from Kolkata on the 122-seater aircraft and about 70 people usually boarded the flight from KNIA towards New Delhi," a source at the airport said.
Also, during the Bengal Global Business Summit, held in January this year, BAPL signed an initial agreement with Druk Air to use KNIA as a technical stop point for the refuelling of their aircraft.
The West Bengal government has given a 100 per cent waiver on aviation turbine fuel surcharge for a period of three years to attract more flights to operate from the airport. Nevertheless, the airport continues to lay barren without any scheduled flights.
With Air India pulling out of the airport and private carriers not commencing flights despite the discussions, BAPL is now eyeing start-up carriers, and is in talks now with Zexus Air Services-owned Zoom Air to commence operations.
"Talks are on with a private airline to commence operations from KNIA. The services will be inaugurated during the festive season here," BAPL's managing director, Partha Ghosh said.
Zoom Air is scheduled to start operations on the New Delhi-Kolkata-Durgapur-Mumbai route with a 50-seater Bombardier CRJ-200LR aircraft.
"A smaller aircraft for a city like Durgapur is more suited than a larger one as there is more likelihood of the aircraft getting filled", said Koustav M Dhar, CEO, Zoom Air.
However, Zoom Air, which will be having a fleet of five 50-seater aircraft in the coming days, is yet to receive the mandatory Air Operators Permit from Directorate General of Civil Aviation .
"Obtaining this permit is in the last stage and we hope to get it anytime soon," he said.
For the time being, although the airport remains operational with a token security personnel and airport maintenance staff, Ghosh is optimistic that with more companies setting up their units in the Sujalaam Skycity project, the incoming population will feed KNIA - it will have the option of flying out to New Delhi or Mumbai from their own backyard.
Dhar said Zoom Air flights will enjoy waiver of landing and parking fees besides waiver of the ATF surcharge.