Kolkata: Civil aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola has written to Bengal chief secretary Rajiva Sinha, asking the state government to reconsider its request for curtailment of domestic flights to Kolkata airport.
Sinha had on Tuesday written to Kharola, urging him to stop flights from eight cities worst affected by Covid and had also called for restricting other flight operations by suggesting that an airline operate to Kolkata only once a week.
Kharola urged the state to reconsider the request. The development comes at a time the DGCA is increasing flight operations from 30% to 45% of pre-lockdown schedule. In Kolkata, 65 flights are currently operating daily, down from 210-odd flights in late February and early March.
Bengal has sought a ban on flights to Kolkata from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai, Indore, Ahmedabad and Surat till July 16. The Bengal government had delayed resumption of domestic flight by three days from May 25 to 28 citing devastation caused by Amphan. Thereafter, only 10 flights were allowed to operate daily till June beginning.
