The Federation of Industries and Commerce of the North Eastern Region (FINER) has asked the Centre to restore the Air India flight to Bangkok from Guwahati. FINER president Abhijit Barooah told the Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy that the flight cancellation had sent wrong signals besides causing inconvenience to passengers.

He pointed out the service was mostly popular for its frequent cancellations and not the flights taken off on time. Due to frequent cancellations, the flight to Bangkok via Guwahati has earned such notoriety that very few passengers want to fly by it.

SARS epidemic offered a good excuse to cancel the flight for five months. But other airlines are not deterred by SARS and continuing their flights to Bangkok. ‘Even Indian Airlines and Air India are flying to Bangkok from all stations of India except Guwahati,’ the FINER chief said.

Stating that ‘the hoax played by Air India and Government of India on the North-east is crystal clear to all,’ Abhijit Barooah urged the Civil Aviation Minister to set things right by immediately restoring the flight. Government of India should also give a firm commitment that the flight would continue at least for a year and it would not be cancelled except under most compelling of circumstances.  

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