Plea for Siliguri on air map

Siliguri, May 5,TT: The Confederation of Indian Industry has demanded that “Siliguri” should replace Bagdogra in all air tickets to and from the destination, although the airport should continue to be called Bagdogra.

“There is a host of examples particularly New Delhi and Calcutta, where the airports are at Palam and Dumdum but tickets are issued in the name of the cities. We want a similar arrangement wherein “Siliguri” should be printed on flight tickets, instead of “ Bagdogra”. This would largely help in bringing Siliguri and north Bengal on the national and international air map. Even today, several Indians are not aware that Siliguri has an airport,” said Ramgopal Jajodia, the chairman of the north Bengal zonal council of the CII.

For a flier whose origin or destination is Dum Dum airport, Kolkata or CCU is printed in the air ticket. While for Palam New Delhi or DEL is written on the tickets. But for fliers arriving at or leaving Bagdogra airport, the ticket reads Bagdogra with the code IXB and not Siliguri.

“We want to clarify that we are not advocating renaming of the airport but want renaming of air tickets only,” Laxmi Limbu Kaushal, the administrative head of the CII in north Bengal, said.

He added that on May 2 they met the regional executive director (northeast region) of the Airports Authority of India in Bagdogra and requested him to look into the matter and take necessary steps.

Representatives of the CII said the place where the airport in Dibrugarh is situated is called Chabua, Lucknow’s airport is in Amousi and the airport at Silchar is in Kumbhigram but the flight tickets are issued in the names of the cities and not of the places where the airports are located.

Currently, around six to eight flights operate out of Bagdogra every day along with the bi-weekly Bangkok-Paro flight that that has a stopover at the airport, AAI sources said.

The CII officials said R.K. Singla, the AAI regional executive director, has suggested them to send a letter to him regarding the matter. “He gave a patient hearing and agreed to look into the matter. He said the letter would be forwarded to the department concerned in the Union civil aviation ministry,” said Jajodia.

K. K. Bhowmik, the airport director of Bagdogra, said: “We are waiting for the letter from the CII. Once we receive it the same would be forwarded to our superiors for consideration and necessary change in the air tickets,” he said.