The Union civil aviation ministry has asked SpiceJet to resume flights to Sikkim’s lone airport and sounded other airlines on providing air connectivity to the landlocked Himalayan state.

In response to Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) president Bhaichung Bhutia’s plea to restore flights to Pakyong, Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said since domestic civil aviation was deregulated, it was up to airlines to provide air services to specific places.

“SAO (read SpiceJet) has been advised to restore the flight connectivity at the earliest…your request (also) has been shared with scheduled domestic airlines for favourable consideration,” read the letter by Scindia to Bhutia.

The minister further said selected airline operators (SAOs) like SpiceJet in the case of Pakyong got viability gap funding (VGF) under the Centre’s UDAN scheme for a period of three years from operationalisation and could continue to operate beyond three years on a commercial basis.

SpiceJet, the lone airline operating to and from Pakyong Airport since its inauguration in 2018, had suspended all flights to Sikkim because of “operational requirements” last month. Before the suspension, the airline used to operate daily flights to Pakyong from Delhi and Calcutta.