Bihar govt calls for more flights on Darbhanga-Delhi route amid high air fare

A Bihar minister said he had communicated the requirement to Union civil aviation minister Jotiraditya Scindia whom he met in Delhi recently.

Amid skyrocketing air fare to and from Bihar's Darbhanga aiport, the Nitish Kumar government highlighted the need to increase the frequency of flights on the Darbhanga-Delhi route keeping in mind the heavy rush expected during Diwali-Chhath festivities.

Darbhanga airport was made operational under UDAN scheme. (HT photo)

Sanjay Kumar Jha, minister of water resources and a key aide to chief minister Nitish Kumar, said that he had communicated the requirement to Union civil aviation minister Jotiraditya Scindia whom he met in Delhi recently.

Jha echoed Scindia's statement in which he had said Darbhanga airport was among the successes of the Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme for regional airport development. He, however, noted that a person flying from the north Bihar town to the national capital has to cough up the same amount as someone who is flying from Delhi to Dubai, reported PTI.

"This has been because SpiceJet, which has a monopoly on the route, cannot meet the demands. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has grounded 50 per cent of its fleet", the minister said.

"I have pleaded with Scindia that people must not be made to suffer on this account, especially during the upcoming festive season when heavy footfall is expected. Either SpiceJet should fly more planes or other carriers be permitted on the route", he added.

Darbhanga airport has been functional for the last couple of years. The air fare from Delhi to Darbhanga on October 22, two days before Diwali, was around ₹15,000- ₹20,000 at the time of writing.

Jha's statement on the need of more flights on Delhi-Darbhanga route came a day after Lok Sabha member from Darbhanga, BJP's Gopal Jee Thakur, targeted the Nitish Kumar government over the alleged delay in the acquisition of 78 acres of land proposed for Darbhanga airport.

“By when will the Bihar government hand over the proposed 78 acres of land for Darbhanga airport to the airport authority so that the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji can develop the Darbhanga airport as the grandest airport and give the divine gift to resident of Mithila," he said.

(With PTI inputs)