Low-cost carrier IndiGo on Monday announced flight services from Durgapur to Chennai thrice a week at the Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport in Andal. The services will begin from May 16.
Kailash Mondal, Director, Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, said the flights will run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
“From May 16, the flight will take off from Chennai at 5.45 am and reach Andal at around 8.25 am. It will leave Andal at 8.55 am, and reach Chennai around 11.35 am,” he told The Statesman.
Earlier budget carrier Spicejet used to operate flight services between Chennai and Durgapur but since the winter schedule, it has been stopped. There was huge demand in the sector and several thousands of patients fly to Chennai from South Bengal and Jharkhand for world-class and affordable medical treatment.
At present, IndiGo operates flight services from Durgapur to Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai.
The Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport has become one of the busiest and important airport terminals of West Bengal, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has planned to convert it as an international airport with direct connectivity to important cities of South East Asian countries like Dhaka, Kathmandu, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, among others.
She has also planned expansion and raised the equity participation of the state government. Changi Airports of Singapore is also a stakeholder of this project, which is the country’s first privately operated commercial airport and having night landing facilities.
The 4C category airport can handle 4 lakh passengers annually and is currently working both as passenger and cargo airport. IndiGo started cargo operations from the airport last year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first passenger to fly from this airport to New Delhi in 2015.