Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi is yet to get any intimation from the Airport Authority of India (AAI) regarding the resumption of flight services for passengers during lockdown 4.0, officials from Ranchi airport said on Thursday. They also put to rest the speculations about resumption of services from May 22 citing lack of official instructions.
do not have any intimation from the AAI yet. Any unsubstantiated information about immediate resumption of services should be seen as mere speculation," said Airport Director Vinod Sharma. "We are waiting for the travel guidelines for lockdown 4.0," he added.
However, the airport authorities here are hopeful that at least some passenger flights might be allowed to resume services after May 17. "We have our fingers crossed. We are hopeful that passenger flight services will be allowed to resume with certain restrictions," said Sharma.
All passenger flights to and from Ranchi have remained suspended since March 25 in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic – a preventive measure that has cost airline companies, airport authority and even third party ticket booking apps dearly, sources said.
The Birsa Munda Airport, officials said, is still on the path of expansion, and a crisis in such circumstances may show its impact on the airport's long-term development goals.
The Birsa Munda Airport is fast growing in terms of connectivity with other cities. The largest airport in Jharkhand has 30 flights connecting Ranchi to important cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The airport also has an international bay, but is yet to get any international flights.
Meanwhile, the airport authorities here have also floated tenders for restaurants and bar in the airport premises.
Besides, several shops and showrooms have come up in the airport terminals in order to provide entertainment, refreshment and quality shopping experience to passengers here. However, these businesses too have been hit during the lockdown triggered by the global pandemic, sources said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's latest address to the nation, however, hinted that many services that were halted during the lockdown may resume. While the Government has already resumes railway services, speculations are rife that air travel may also get back on track soon.