Kolkata (The Hawk): There was a significant disruption in flight operations at the Bagdogra airport in north Bengal, which is close to Siliguri, raising concerns of yet another closure of the region's sole airport. The airport was closed for a fortnight in April of this year so that cracks in the runway could be fixed.
Flight operations for both the military and the general public use the Bagdogra airport. The Indian Air Force is in charge of the Air Traffic Control, while the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Airports Authority of India oversee the passenger terminal.
The Defence Ministry released a statement late on Wednesday night that read: "Flight operations from Bagdogra were temporarily discontinued owing to unforeseen operational circumstances. All parties involved are making sustained efforts to quickly restore normal operations.
The crisis that caused the services to be suspended couldn't be identified. Many people questioned whether cracks had been found on the runway once more. An earthquake that rocked Nepal on Wednesday morning left the nation severely damaged. Even though Bagdogra and Siliguri are only a few kilometres away from Nepal, the earthquake's centre was more in northern India. Both New Delhi and some areas of the National Capital Region experienced tremors.
In addition to being the only airport serving the general public in that area, Air Force Station Bagdogra has a commanding position over the Chicken Neck corridor of Siliguri, which links India's northeastern regions with the rest of the nation. China is interested in this route because it could easily cut off India's northeastern states from the rest of the nation if the People's Liberation Army made a rapid drive through Bhutan.
People have begun to wonder if there were any strategic issues at play after the Ministry of Civil Aviation abruptly and without warning suspended airline operations from Bagdogra. However, sources with the Eastern Air Command insisted that technical problems were to blame for the disturbance.
(Inputs from Agencies)