According to SpiceJet ground staff, said the services from Puducherry airport was suspended on June 13. Representational image.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS
Puducherry’s bad patch on the aviation map of the country continues with SpiceJet, the only flight operator from Puducherry Airport, deciding to temporarily suspend services due to “operational difficulties.” A few days ago, the private operator stopped services from Puducherry to Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
“We don’t know the exact reason for suspending the flights. They have stopped services to both the sectors citing operational difficulties. They have agreed to re-launch operations from next month,” said an official with Airports Authority of India, Puducherry office.
However, enquires with SpiceJet revealed the flight operator may take more time to resume services to both the sectors from Puducherry. The government was not aware of suspension of operations even till Monday evening. “The service provider has not informed us on the development,” a senior official told The Hindu.
When contacted, a SpiceJet ground staff, said the services from Puducherry airport was suspended on June 13.
“As of now, we have stopped bookings till October. The reasons for suspension of service are several including flight shortage,” said a SpiceJet staff.
The region has been on and off the aviation map intermittently for some time now. SpiceJet had first launched its operations from Puducherry in 2013 with a direct flight connecting Puducherry and Bengaluru. However, about a year later, the airline stopped services citing viability issues.
Another operator, Alliance Air, the budget airlines of Air India, entered the Puducherry aviation map in April, 2015. Six months later, the airline stopped operations following a subsidy spat with the Puducherry government.
Spicejet urged to clear doubts
SpiceJet re-entered Puducherry airspace in 2017 with operations to Hyderabad and later to Bengaluru. Again, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the flights were withdrawn from both the routes. After repeated requests from Puducherry government, it resumed operations in March 2022.
According to a regular flyer to Bengaluru, the service provider must bring an end to ambiguity about its operations from Puducherry. “On several occasions there had been cancellations even while being in service in the recent months,”’ she said.
“Such disruptions in service are not good for the UT as the government has plans to expand the airport to facilitate operation of wide-bodied aircraft. If the government is serious to improve tourism activity, it must improve air connectivity. It will not augur well for the tourism industry if we are going to have irregular service providers,” said an industrialist.
An official in AAI, Puducherry office said both the flights had reasonable bookings. On an average per day, the airport catered to around 250 passengers in both the sectors, he added.
Meanwhile, BJP Puducherry president V. Saminathan on Monday wrote a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia seeking his intervention in resuming flight operations from Puducherry. He said the withdrawal of flights from both the routes will impact the tourism sector.
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