Jamshedpur, Jan 8 (PTI) Amid uncertainty over IndiaOne Air-operated flight services from Jamshedpur, senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Kunal Sarangi on Thursday met Tata Steel CEO and Managing Director T V Narendran here seeking his intervention.
Sarangi claimed that Narendran assured him that Tata Steel would continue to bear expenses related to landing charges, parking fees and terminal management, provided the Centre grants an extension of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) to the Jamshedpur airport.
The meeting was held after IndiaOne Air informed its employees that the validity of the RCS was nearing expiry for the airport.
In a statement, Sarangi expressed apprehension that in the absence of an extension, flight services from Jamshedpur to Kolkata may be discontinued from January 31, while the Bhubaneswar service could end from February 28.
The JMM spokesperson said that under the existing agreement, the privileges extended by Tata Steel would also lapse with the expiry of the RCS, leaving the airline with little option but to suspend operations.
During the meeting, he appealed to Narendran to continue Tata Steel’s support to ensure uninterrupted air connectivity from the steel city.
He also urged the Tata Steel MD to consider expanding the runway of the company-owned Sonari Aerodrome to facilitate operations of ATR aircraft, as was the case earlier, until a concrete solution emerges regarding the proposed Dhalbhumgarh airport project, which has remained stalled.
Narendran, meanwhile, said initiatives were underway to expand the runway at Sonari Aerodrome, and officials had been directed to prepare a technical proposal in this regard.
Sarangi said he would also request Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to take up the matter with the Union Civil Aviation Ministry for extending the RCS to ensure continuation of flight services from Jamshedpur.
A daily flight connecting Jamshedpur with Kolkata and Bhubaneswar was launched in February 2023 by Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
Ahmedabad-based regional airline IndiaOne Air operates a nine-seater Grand Caravan EX (C208B) single-engine aircraft on the Bhubaneswar–Jamshedpur–Kolkata route.
Efforts to reach IndiaOne Air for comments failed, as calls and messages to the company head were not responded. PTI BS NN
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