Low-cost carrier SpiceJet has become the first airline to start regular services to the hill state of Sikkim in North East India.
In the absence of direct air connectivity to the State, tourists headed for Sikkim currently have to fly to Bagdogra and then take a road journey of over 100 km to reach Gangtok. With the introduction of the direct flights from Pakyong the extra travel time will now be avoided.
The airline will deploy Bombardier Q-400 aircraft on the route.
It will operate daily direct flights on the Pakyong-Kolkata sector from 4th October and Pakyong-Guwahati sector effective 16th October. Pakyong (Gangtok) will be SpiceJet’s ninth destination under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN.
SG 3324 operating on the Kolkata-Pakyong route will depart from Kolkata for Pakyong at 09.30 am, whereas SG 3325 operating on the route of Pakyong-Guwahati route will depart at 11.15 am.
The Pakyong airport is situated at a height of more than 4,500 feet. On March 10, SpiceJet had successfully operated a test flight to Pakyong making it the first civil fixed aircraft to land at the airport.
SpiceJet was awarded the routes under UDAN II.
The airline has announced a limited period special introductory one-way fare of Rs 2,680 for Pakyong-Kolkata and Rs 2,060 for Pakyong-Guwahati.
Ajay Singh – Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet said, “I am delighted to announce the launch of our much awaited flight services to Pakyong. Today is a very proud moment for us and a historic moment for the state of Sikkim as SpiceJet becomes the first and only airline to connect this majestic state to the rest of the country and beyond. Our new flights will provide a major boost to tourism and we are proud to contribute to the growth story of this vibrant state.”
With the addition of Pakyong-Kolkata and Pakyong-Guwahati flights, SpiceJet will operate 21 flights under UDAN scheme for the promotion of connectivity to remote areas. These are Mumbai-Porbandar, Mumbai-Kandla-Mumbai, Hyderabad-Puducherry- Hyderabad, Jaipur-Jaisalmer-Jaipur, Delhi-Adampur-Delhi, Chennai-Hubli-Chennai, Hyderabad-Hubli-Hyderabad, Delhi-Kanpur-Delhi and Delhi-Kishangarh-Delhi.
SpiceJet was awarded 22 new sectors under the second round of bidding for the Government of India’s UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme.
Out of these 22, 19 catered to unserved markets of Kannur (Kerala), Darbhanga (Bihar), Ozar (Nashik), Pakyong (Sikkim), Kishangarh (Rajasthan), Lilabari (Assam) and others.