Silchar Airport is all set to start flight operation from Monday the 25th of May and all necessary preparation is in place as par the Standard Operating Procedure of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Pradip Kumar Gorai, Airport Director, Silchar Airport informed over the phone that Silchar airport is being geared up for contactless procedures as other airports are following across the country.

He informed that as of now till 30th June, there will be daily two flights of SpiceJet, one from Kolkata in the morning with 72 passenger capacity craft and another Boeing with a capacity of 180 passengers will ply between Silchar- Guwahati-Delhi-Mumbai route.

Indian Airlines will ply weekly two flights from Kolkata on Monday and Wednesday and one Air Charter flight for the defense forces weekly. So Silchar Airport is going to handle 17 flights weekly. Though the first flight of SpiceJet allowed on Monday morning is being cancelled by the airlines, Pradip informed.  

Detailing the procedure Airport Director explained that once the passenger will arrive inside the airport arrival gate, and state health officials will check their temperature and once allowed by the medical team,  they will be made to wait and their luggage shall be sanitised. In a staggard manner, they will approach the CISF gate in the entry door of the arrival area. Now the passenger has to show his web check-in printout as well as ID card which the CISF will see through a magnifying glass installed in the glass gate. Once through this, they shall approach the luggage check-in area where the passenger will have to put the luggage for X-Ray check and put the security check tag by themselves. 

At the boarding counter, one has to put in the weighing machine luggage, there is once again a magnifying glass being put where the executive will see the web check-in print out, Id, and shall give the print command. The passenger will have to take the printout himself as the printers are now stationed in such a way that a passenger will be able to tear the luggage tag and fix it in the luggage and stick his part on his web ticket. 
In the security area, a high resolution camera in fixed where the CISF team will check the ticket and the hand luggage. A sanitised tray will be given by the CISF team for putting all the items such as belts, wallets, etc. One has to pass through the door frame metal detector (DFMD) and if allowed they proceed for the boarding area. If not, the CISF who will be completely in PPE outfit shall do bodily check before one can proceed.

Similarly for deboarding, there will be forms that will be filled up for the district administrations’ requirement, in the aircraft itself after the flight lands at Silchar. The passengers will be deboarded in a staggard manner. there are circles drawn up where they will have to stand so as to maintain social distance, they collect their luggage and proceed towards cargo area where the district administration shall take charge, informed the Airport Director.

Pradip Kumar Gorai echoed that as time passes we shall see lots of paraphernalia of ‘new normal’ and appealed to traveller to have patience.