Rajdeep Roy flags off Indigo aircraft; society welcomes new carrier

The long-cherished dream of having better air connectivity to Barak valley is on verge of getting fulfilled, after India’s low-cost carrier Indigo commenced its service at Silchar on Friday.

The first aircraft of Indigo was given a grand welcome at Silchar airport by Indigo and Silchar airport authorities. The aircraft took off from Kolkata at 7:30 am, and reached Silchar at 8:30 am. The return flight was flagged off by Silchar MP Rajdeep Roy in presence of Udharbond MLA Mihir Kandi Shome and Borkhola MLA Kishor Nath. All expressed their happiness on Indigo choosing Silchar as its destination.

It is worth mentioning here that earlier this year, when Jet Airways called off its services the airfare had skyrocketed. Back then, serial entrepreneur and founder president of Assam Chamber of Commerce’s South Assam chapter, Vivek Podder had requested the government to intervene as the airway was becoming unaffordable for the common people. He is buoyed by the arrival of Indigo.

Speaking with Barak Bulletin, Podder said, “We are very happy, that finally Indigo chose Silchar as its next destination and started its service from today. Hope the airfares will now slide down making air travel affordable for all.”
He is of the opinion that better air connectivity is very much important for the growth of infrastructure and commerce of any region. “I will request Indigo to keep their flights in morning hours so that we can use their wide network for traveling to other parts of the country within the same day,” Podder added.

Dipalay Dey, an aviation enthusiast from Silchar who has been tracking the industry for a while feels there is an increasing demand of air tickets from Barak Valley, so more aircraft from Silchar is the need of the hour. “Today’s flight will not only act to cater to the need for better air connectivity but will also help to boost trade and commerce of this region,” said Dey.

He added, “Anyone with business purpose now can directly fly to Silchar from any corner of the country using the Indigo’s wide network. Moreover, the upcoming Silchar Guwahati Indigo flight will be especially helpful for the Medical representatives as they often do complain of no morning flights between the two cities.”

The Indigo has deployed its A320 aircraft for the route. The flight will depart from Kolkata airport daily at 7:30 am and will reach Silchar by 8:45 am. After a halt of 30 mins, the flight will embark again for Kolkata.

Indigo is amongst the fastest growing carriers in the world. With its fleet of over 200 aircraft, the airline offers over 1400 daily flights and connects 57 domestic destinations and 19 international destinations. Indigo is also the country’s largest carrier as it recorder 49% share in the domestic passenger market in the second quarter of 2019