A Gujarat-based private airline company will start flight services between Calcutta and Cooch Behar from February 15, Union minister of state for home affairs Nisith Pramanik said here on Friday.

IndiaOne Air, a company based in Ahmedabad, will run a nine-seater plane on the route.

Over the past 12 years, this is the fourth time that attempts are being made to connect Cooch Behar, the farthest district in Bengal from state capital Calcutta, by air.

Pramanik, who visited the airport here on Tuesday, along with representatives of the airline company, said: “From February 15, the service will start. Initially, the one-way fare (from Cooch Behar to Calcutta and from Calcutta to Cooch Behar) will be Rs 999. The Centre will give subsidy under the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) scheme for the first three months. The state government is giving all necessary assistance at the airport.”

Union minister of state for home affairs Nisith Pramanik (in white kurta and blue bundi) with others at Cooch Behar airport on Friday. Main Uddin Chisti

On July 27, 2019, a few months after Pramanik got elected as the MP from Cooch Behar, he landed at the airport in a nine-seater aircraft and announced that a private company would start flight services from Cooch Behar.

However, the state withdrew policemen posted at the airport for security on the same day. This led to a halt in services and the airplane that landed in Cooch Behar was stranded there for some days. Eventually, it departed but the service didn’t start.

In the past four-and-a-half years, the demand for flight services has been raised time and again by Cooch Behar residents.

“Finally, it seems that the service will start. Unlike in 2019, the state is extending all help. The district police have already posted policemen at the airport. Their training has also commenced at the airport so that they can discharge their responsibilities smoothly,” said a source.

Manoj Sarkar, the airport director, said the airport as ready for flight operations. “We are making final preparations to confirm that the services start from February 15,” he said.

Arun Kumar Singh, the CEO of IndiaOne Air, who was accompanying Pramanik, reconfirmed commencement of the service.

“It will be a daily service. It will take around one hour and 45 minutes to reach Calcutta from here in our nine-seater aircraft,” said Singh.

Every day, the aircraft will land here at 12.10pm and take off for Calcutta at 12.30pm, he said.

Town residents are a bit sceptical.

“Since 2011, we have seen private airline companies come here and leave. We hope the services will not stop this time,” said a resident.