Ambikapur (Chattisgarh): Flight operation will soon start from the recently developed airport at Ambikapur with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issuing aerodrome license for the Maa Mahamaya airport in Chhattisgarh’s Surguja district.
A senior officer of the state’s public relations department said that Maa Mahamaya airport, Ambikapur, has been developed in 3-C VER category to expand air services. Once operationalised, Maa Mahamaya airport will be the third licensed airports—Bilaspur, Jagdalpur and Ambikapur—in Chattisgarh operating under the regional connectivity scheme (RCS).
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Officials said that the state government had in December 2022 applied to the DGCA for the license to launch air services from the airport. The license has paved the way for the operation of 72-seater flights from Ambikapur.
The state government also signed a memorandum of understating (MoU) with the Centre-run Alliance Air on Friday to kick off regular commercial flight services from Bilaspur to Delhi and Kolkata, and Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh) to Delhi via Jabalpur by the end of this month.
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State chief minister Navin Patnaik inaugurated flight services from Bilaspur to Delhi and Kolkata on March 12, while the flight service Delhi-Jabalpur- Jagdalpur-Jabalpur-Delhi was also launched on the same day. Now, after the pact, the flight services on the three routes will be regular from the month-end.
The state government officials said that they were making all out efforts to launch the flight service from Ambikapur airport to Raipur, Bilaspur, Lucknow, Patna and Ranchi. The flight operation from Ambikapur is expected to boost tourism and commercial activities in the northern region, and facilitate prosperity in the area, the official said.
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As per the MoU, the state will provide financial assistance to the airline company to compensate for the loss based on the cost revenue model in case of non-availability of passengers on the flights.
