Flight of development: Zoom Air connects Durgapur with Delhi

Sujalaam Skycity reaches for the skies and the future looks brighter than ever. Kazi Nazrul Islam (KNI) Airport has sprung back into action.

However, what makes it even more special is the fact that its reboot has coincided with the launch of the Nation’s 10^th full-service scheduled airline Zoom Air — an event that is sure to be registered as a bright chapter in India’s aviation history.

On February 12, 2017, Zoom Air, which is based out of Gurgaon and promoted by Zexus Air Services, launched its inaugural flight from Delhi. Its Bombardier CRJ-200LR series twin-engine jet aircraft, which was flagged off by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, flew out of the National Capital and landed at KNI Airport, an occasion that was cheered by everyone present at the venue as the aircraft taxied in through the traditional water-cannon salute.

Three days after this event, on February 15, the airline officially launched its regular services to and from the airport, connecting a trio of cities — Delhi-Kolkata-Durgapur.

Zoom Air is the most affordable premium full-service airline in the Nation at the moment. While it offers a 2x2 seating arrangement that offers considerably more legroom than most crammed layouts presented by the usual Boeings — and complimentary delicatessen meals to go with it — it does so at fares comparable with trains’.  

This latest development is consonant with objectives set for the aviation industry in the recent Regional Connectivity Scheme published by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. Aligning itself to the objectives, Zoom Air has planned to connect underserved and unserved airports, catering to tier II and III cities that most other airlines do not attend.

The airline is planning to ramp up its operations further from April this year, with more frequent flights and more destinations connecting Kolkata and Durgapur.

In its first phase of expansion, Zoom Air will connect to Aizawl, Aurangabad, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Dimapur, Durgapur, Hyderabad, Kullu, Jorhat, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ranchi, Mumbai, Srinagar and Shillong from New Delhi. The airline will also provide seamless connections to international flights from the third terminal (T3) of Delhi and the second (T2) of Mumbai.

Zoom Air is seriously considering KNI Airport as its regional hub in Eastern India. Among the many reasons for its doing so — barring the obvious benefits of superior infrastructure and planning — the airline cites advantages on landing and parking charges and zero tax on aviation fuel as some of the key benefits they have received at Sujalaam Skycity.

With the KNI Airport back in action, the people of Durgapur have a faster, easier and entirely affordable premium service to rely on to reach the national capital in less than two hours. This is a development that clearly marks the beginning of a pioneering phase of development in Bengal.