Airlines open bookings for all October days, wait for government decision on curbs

KOLKATA: All airlines have opened bookings on all days in October — the festive month — in anticipation that the state may relax the three-days-a-week restriction for direct flights from six cities with prevalence of Covid. Airport officials, however, said in absence of fresh instructions from the government and civil aviation ministry till now, it will continue with the restriction on these flights.
If the thrice-a-week norm persists in the next month, it is bound to jeopardize travel plans, force schedule changes and can even lead to trips being cancelled if demand exceeds supply. Anxious flyers have already taken to social media to reach out to the civil aviation ministry, the state and the airport operator.
“Please share the October schedule for Pune to Kolkata. It’s urgent,” Subhadip Parui tagged the airport’s official Twitter handle. Similarly, frequent flyer Yash Gandhi has tweeted multiple times in recent days seeking clarity on flights. “Please confirm if Kolkata to Mumbai flights are departing every day or on specific days,” he tweeted.
The state had announced an embargo on direct flights from the six cities to Kolkata in the beginning of July. After two months, the curbs were partially relaxed, with flights being allowed to operate thrice a week.