Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A new direct Bhopal-Patna flight service was launched from Raja Bhoj Airport on Monday. Operated by Alliance Air, the service will run every Sunday, Monday and Wednesday using a 72-seater ATR-72 aircraft, with a passenger capacity of 70.
The service will operate Bhopal-Patna-Kolkata on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays, with the return flight following the Kolkata-Patna-Bhopal route.
On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, it will operate Bhopal-Rewa-Kolkata, with the return flight following the Kolkata-Rewa-Bhopal route.
The service will provide connecting flight options between Bhopal and Kolkata six days a week, except Friday.
The new service received an encouraging response from passengers on its first day, with around 65% of seats occupied in both directions. As many as 51 passengers travelled from Patna to Bhopal, while 40 passengers flew from Bhopal to Patna on Monday.
According to Bhopal Airport Director Alok Tripathi, the ATR-72 aircraft being used on the route has a capacity of 70 passengers.
The direct service is expected to make travel between Bhopal and Patna more convenient while also improving connectivity with Kolkata.
Passengers travelling from Bhopal to Kolkata can now use the Patna connection on three days of the week, while the Rewa connection will be available on the remaining three operating days.
Airport officials said the initial passenger response to the new route was encouraging and expressed hope that the service would prove useful for travellers between the three states.
Jabalpur-Kolkata Direct Flight Starts; Gets Water Cannon Salute On First Fly
Just a few days earlier, another direct flight had also been launched from Bhopal to Kolkata on August 8, further strengthening air connectivity with Madhya Pradesh.
The first direct flight arrived at Jabalpur’s Dumna Airport on Saturday morning, marking the start of the new air service.
The flight from Kolkata reached Jabalpur at around 9:35 am. It received a water cannon salute at the airport in the presence of officials and aviation authorities.
