Assam: Senior citizens protest against suspension of flights at Rupsi airport

Dhubri, Feb 25: A group of senior citizens from Dhubri district and BTR area staged a protest outside the Rupsi airport on Sunday, demanding the resumption of flight services from the airport, which has been non-functional for the last 110 days.

The protesters expressed their anger and frustration over the closure of the only passenger flight from Rupsi to Kolkata-Guwahati, operated by Fly Big Airlines. They said that the flight suspension has caused them inconvenience and hardship, as they have to travel long distances by road or rail to reach other airports. 

The protesters also questioned the silence of the BTR and the state government over the issue and demanded an explanation for the real reason behind the flight suspension. They said that the Rupsi airport, which was rebuilt at a cost of crores of rupees under the central government's "Udan Scheme", should not be abandoned again after being reopened in March 2021. 

The Rupsi airport was reopened after being closed for 39 years. The airport was expected to boost the connectivity and development of the western Assam region, including Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, and Goalpara districts.

The protesters claimed that "according to the agreement signed with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), "Fly Big" was supposed to operate a 72-seat ATR aircraft on the Guwahati-Rupsi-Kolkata route for three years, with two flights three days a week. Later, the frequency was increased to six days a week due to the high demand from passengers."

However, since November 7, 2023, no flight has taken off from Rupsi airport without any prior notice from the airline. The airline has reportedly cited maintenance issues with the aircraft as the reason for the suspension but has not given any assurance of resuming service, according to the protesters.