ROURKELA: Amid uncertainty over the smooth operation of the flight service to Rourkela due to low visibility and adverse weather condition, the average passenger load of Alliance Air in recent days has dropped to around 45 per cent from its previous high occupancy. Fearing last-minute cancellation of the flight, most fliers from Rourkela are reportedly preferring trains.
The current situation is being blamed on the lack of an Instrument Landing System (ILS) and night landing facility at Rourkela airport, which is owned by the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) of SAIL and operated by the Airport Authority of India (AAI). Reliable sources said the monthly average occupancy of the ATR-72 aircraft of Alliance Air from Rourkela to Bhubaneswar used to be around 55 per cent.
However, the sudden cancellation of the flight on a few occasions in the recent past is giving fliers the jitters. And since the monsoon has arrived, the fear of last-minute flight cancellation continues to grip air travellers. Sources in Alliance Air said the average monthly passenger load remains between 50- 65 per cent and on many days, the flight sees full occupancy.
They admitted that the lack of ILS at the airport is a problem. Amid cloudy weather condition and light rain on Tuesday, 41 passengers arrived from Bhubaneswar and 42 left from Rourkela. On June 20, the departure from Rourkela was 38 and the number increased to 55 on June 24. Many fliers from Rourkela said fearing last-minute cancellation of the flight, they are booking train tickets.
Others pointed out that due to the odd departure timing of the Alliance Air flight at 4.15 pm from Rourkela and visibility issue in the prevailing rainy weather, they prefer the safest option of a train journey. Former general secretary of Steel Executives’ Federation of India (SEFI) Bimal Bisi said on February 25, Transport and Commerce secretary of Odisha Usha Padhee had convened a meeting with the authorities concerned for equipping the airport with ILS and night landing facility. But it yielded no result. Bisi said he has sent a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia in this regard, urging him to enhance the reliability of the flight service and save fliers from harassment.