KOLKATA/GANGTOK: When Shakar Das Sil stepped into the Kolkata airport on Thursday morning, he realised that the wait for a flight to Sikkim was finally over. But he and others on Kolkata-Pakyong flight SG 3324 had to wait for three more hours as bad weather in Sikkim delayed the departure of the inaugural flight.
"Around early July, I first heard about a direct flight to Sikkim and sealed the opportunity to book a ticket on the inaugural flight when sales finally opened last month. Till this morning, the wait was filled with anticipation, which turned to apprehension when I learned the weather at Pakyong was playing foul. The thrill returned only after the flight took off at 12.20pm," recounted Sil after disembarking from the flight at
Pakyong airport.
The 70-minute flight on the Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 aircraft passed uneventfully with passengers often craning their neck to look at the changing landscape below. As the plane began to descend, those seated next to the window scanned the earth for the airport, hoping to catch a glimpse of the facility from the air.
After a smooth landing at 1.30pm, the flight was greeted with a water salute by two fire tenders positioned on either side of the taxi track. All 78 passengers had a sense of wonder in their eyes as they alighted from the aircraft and looked around at the airport nestled at 4,590ft atop a hill. At the terminal, they were greeted with traditional khadas (scrafs).
For tourists from Kolkata, the flight will reduce travel time by at least four-and-a-half hours as passengers will reach Gangtok in an hour from the airport instead of undertaking a five-hour road journey from Bagdogra.
Pakyong airport general manager Gautam Biswas was glad that flight operations had finally commenced after a rather prolonged wait for approvals from regulatory authorities. From October 16, a second flight will start operations between Guwahati and Pakyong.
The return flight that took off at 2.15pm was also full. Many among them were first-time flyers. One such elderly person said the airport will now make it easier for the people of the hill state to travel to Kolkata and other Indian cities for business and medical treatment.
Sikkim transport minister and local MLA DT Lepcha, who was present to welcome the first flight, said the airport was a major achievement for the government and the people of Sikkim. "The airport will contribute significantly in promotion of tourism in Sikkim," he said, adding that efforts were on to operate flights to Kathmandu, Paro (Bhutan) and Bangkok.
A month ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Pakyong airport as the 100th airport of the country and Sikkim's first airport.
