Shirdi airport still shut, two airlines shift base

PUNE: Two airlines — IndiGo and SpiceJet — will shift their flights to the Aurangabad airport from Shirdi, where operations have remained suspended since November 13 due to low visibility.
IndiGo will shift the operations of its Shirdi-bound flights to Aurangabad from November 24 till December 2. SpiceJet, which has as many as 12 flights (arrivals and departures) to and from Shirdi, stated the Aurangabad airport would be used for flights from November 22 to 26.
“We shall now be operating to and from the nearest airport in Aurangabad between November 24 until December 2 because of the bad weather conditions in Shirdi,” IndiGo stated on Twitter.
A spokesperson of SpiceJet said, “Owing to the bad weather condition resulting in low visibility in Shirdi, the flight operations to and from Shirdi airport have been affected for the past one week. To offer connectivity to the temple town and reduce inconvenience of the passengers and devotees, SpiceJet has decided to shift the flight operations to Aurangabad, which is the nearest airport to Shirdi. All flights operating to and from Shirdi airport will operate to and from the Aurangabad airport between November 22 and 26.”
Passengers are miffed over the move. “The distance between Aurangabad to Shirdi is around 130km and it takes around three hours by road to reach the temple town. Will the airlines, which have shifted base temporarily, provide transport to the passengers from Aurangabad to Shirdi?” Ankit Sarin, a Delhi-based businessman who had planned to travel to Shirdi, said.
While SpiceJet connects Shirdi to cities such as Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, IndiGo connects the temple town to cities including Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Indore.
A source from the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC) said they had installed a doppler very high frequency range (DVOR) radar at Shirdi airport, but it had not been commissioned by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). “We have spoken to the DGCA about the present scenario and have requested them to survey the equipment so that things are not delayed. If the inspection is done fast, there could be some relief,” an MADC official said.