Air courier service for Central paramilitary forces, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel for four routes from the Northeast to Kolkata and Delhi resumed on Saturday. The air courier service from Naxal hit Chhattisgarh to the national capital and vice versa also resumed during the day.

The air courier service for Jammu & Kashmir to the national Capital and vice versa will resume from Sunday and Indigo Airlines has been contracted for provision of the facilitation to the security and intelligence personnel.

The service will be provided by Indigo airlines and it will continue till July 31, 2023.

The air courier service has resumed on the approved routes for the Northeast and Naxal-hit Chhattisgarh, For Jammu and Kashmir it will resume on Sunday.

On the Northeast front, the services will be available for Kolkata-Agartala-Kolkata route as also for Kolkata-Aizawl -Silchar-Kolkata, Delhi (T-2)-Dibrugarh-Guwahati-Delhi.

For Chhattisgarh, it will be available for Delhi-Raipur-Jagdalpur-Raipur-Jagdalpur-Raipur-Delhi route.

 “It is to inform that as per approval received from MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs), now Air Courier Service will be operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd (Indigo) Airlines on all approved routes upto 31 July 2023,” reads an order of the Administration Directorate of the Border Security Force (BSF).

BSF is the nodal Force for provision of the Air Courier Service and the order was issued on Thursday.

“It is requested to inform your personnel to utilize optimum allotted seats in Air Courier Service,” reads the order circulated to the nodal officers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Force (CISF) Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Assam Rifles (AR), National Security Guard (NSG), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

The services were earlier being provided by Air India but the renewal could not be reached at the old rates after disinvestment of the erstwhile public sector airliner, officials said.

The services were discontinued for a brief spell due non-negotiation of the facility with Air India and delay in finalization of the same with Indigo Airlines, they added.

The service is being provided to the paramilitary personnel deployed in the Northeast, Jammu  and Kashmir besides Naxal-hit Chhattisgarh to reduce their travel time while proceeding to their hometowns for availing leave.