Punjab: Bathinda connectivity hit as Flybig exits, Air Alliance scales down

Sources in the civil aviation department say Flybig, which started on the Bathinda-Hindon route in September 2023, has been taken over and there is no clarity if any other aviation player is starting air service on the route

The connectivity from the Bathinda airport has been hit as a service provider shut down its operations while another reduced its flight days. Located at Virk Kalan village, the Bathinda civil airport was inaugurated in 2019. Until three weeks ago, it was connected to the national capital region (NCR) by two flight service providers — Flybig and Air Alliance which operated from Bathinda to Hindon (Ghaziabad) and Delhi, respectively.

Officials of Air Alliance attribute fewer flights to aircraft maintenance and claim that services would be restored soon.

Initially, Bathinda airport, located adjacent to the Indian Air Force station in Bhisiana, was connected to Delhi and Jammu under the Centre’s ambitious regional connectivity scheme (RCS) of Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN), under which fares were kept low. Gradually, the air connectivity to Jammu was dismissed, and Bathinda was connected to the NCR when Flybig was granted a licence to fly to Hindon. Former Union minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has been pushing for better connectivity from the south Malwa region’s only airport but the facility got a shocker when, according to the official information, Flybig suddenly wound up its operations on September 27.

Sources in the civil aviation department said that Flybig, which started on the Bathinda-Hindon route in September 2023, has been taken over and there is no clarity if any other aviation player is starting air service on the route.

Bathinda airport director Sawar Mal Singaria said that SpiceJet is contemplating starting a flight on the Bathinda-Hindon route by its subsidiary. “Management of the SpiceJet has informed that they would take the final decision on flight operations to Bathinda within a month. There is no clarity on the passenger-carrying capacity of the aircraft on the route,” said Singaria.

Flybig had a 19-seater aircraft and it had an average occupancy rate of 26%. Singaria said, “Flybig was generally opening sales for 11-12 tickets, but the average occupancy remained 4-6 passengers per flight.”

Officials of Air Alliance attribute fewer flights to aircraft maintenance and claim that services would be restored soon.

As per the official information, since September 19, Air Alliance (AA) has dropped the weekly flights to half.

Airport manager of AA, Laxman Bhardwaj, said the suspension of services was a temporary phase to meet the technical maintenance requirements of the aircraft fleet. “From October 17, we start the air service for four-five days. The winter schedule will be implemented from October 26 and AA will fly on alternate days — Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays,” he added.