SHILLONG: 16th August 2022 (PTI Source)
FlyBig has allegedly told the state government it will no longer be able to fly on the Shillong-Delhi route. It was 4-5 days ago that it surrendered this route.
The government now needs to cancel the contract with the regional airline and open a new request for a proposal for another company to come in and explore whether operating a flight on the Shillong-Delhi route is feasible.
From 21st December 2020 to 29th April 2022, the Meghalaya Transport Corporation has spent over Rs 2 crore on FlyBig.
During the 19 days of its operation, up to 11th October last year, 732 persons had flown with the airline.
The number of passengers who took flight on this route made it one of the most successful low-cost carriers in India. The airline was able to carry 1,164 people on a typical journey between April and November this year after resuming operations.
According to the signed agreement with the state government, FlyBig has missed operating its Shillong-Delhi route on multiple occasions, failing to uphold its twice-weekly promise for three years.
Previously, Shillong and its adjacent regions were required to travel to Guwahati in order to fly to New Delhi. FlyBig's service had a lot of promise and potential but was short-lived.
In the interim, it's expected that the Shillong-Lilabari route will be introduced. Alliance Air is set to fly the service on the Shillong-Guwahati, Shillong-Imphal, and Shillong-Dimapur routes.
On the other side, construction including models of the indigenous living-root bridge, a typical Khasi kitchen, ancient monoliths, etc. is underway at Shillong airport.