The Pakyong (Gangtok) Airport at Sikkim is likely to get inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The airport was approved by the centre in 2008 and trial for use by commercial airlines were on. This month, the airport got license for scheduled operations. Low-cost airline SpiceJet has been granted permission to fly to Pakyong from Kolkata under the Civil Aviation Ministry's regional connectivity scheme. SpiceJet has already conducted a dry run at the airport with one its Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 aircraft successfully landing there on March 5. Also in March, A Dornier 228 of the Indian Air Force also landed at the airport. This airport is of strategic importance and tourism sector, in particular, is expected to benefit immensely with this airport.
A mid-air collision was averted when an IndiGo Airlines flight (6E-892, Airbus A320, Kolkata to Agartala) and an Air Deccan flight (DN-602, 18-seater Beechcraft 1900 D, Agartala to Kolkata) came close to each other by 700 meters over the Dhaka airspace and RA (resolution advisory) was triggered. The breach took place May 2, but is being revealed only now. The Air Deccan flight DN 602 was on the descend from 9,000 feet flight level, while the IndiGo flight 6E 892 was on the climb after taking off from Kolkata for Agartala. It was, however, told to maintain 8,300 feet flight level, which triggered TCAS. The incident is now being probed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
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