Guwahati: Due to “operational restrictions,” SpiceJet, the only airline operating daily flights to and from the greenfield airport in Pakyong, Sikkim will cease operations in the hill state as of October 30.
A spokeswoman for the low-cost airline claimed that poor weather and poor visibility were the main reasons in the decision.
With effect from October 30, 2022, SpiceJet flights to and from Pakyong airport have been temporarily halted due to operational issues brought on by the poor weather and low visibility at Pakyong.
“Pakyong is a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) airport and does not have instrument landing facilities… To avoid inconvenience to our passengers, flight operations have been temporarily suspended. We will share an update once the services resume,” the spokesperson said.
At the airport’s reception and ticket desk, a sign to this effect has been posted.
When SpiceJet had to cancel flights owing to inclement weather during the monsoon season, the airline faced huge costs, an airport official stated on the condition of anonymity.
Currently, the airline offers daily direct flights to Delhi and Kolkata after beginning operations at the airport’s table-top location in 2018.
Locals who use flight services as and when they become available will be inconvenienced by the decision, according to officials and the landlocked state’s tourism industry will also suffer.
“We are hoping that services will resume early next year as the weather is usually favourable around that time of the year,” a tourism department official said.