Gaya: With Air India yet to apply for slot allotment for its Gaya–Delhi flights under the summer schedule beginning April 1, uncertainty has once again clouded the airline’s operations at Gaya Airport. While IndiGo has already sought slots for its Gaya–Delhi and Gaya–Kolkata routes — and is likely to revive its Gaya–Mumbai service — Air India’s delay has triggered concern among travellers as in the absence of effective competition, passengers are often forced to pay exorbitant fares.According to airport officials, requests for slot allotment for a season’s schedule are generally submitted about three months in advance. However, Air India — despite being the first airline to begin operations on the Gaya–Delhi route in 2011 — is yet to apply. IndiGo, which started services much later in 2019–20, has since streamlined its operations. During the Covid period, both airlines suspended flights from Gaya, but while IndiGo resumed services after the pandemic, Air India has not done so.Air India resumed operations on Sept 1, 2025, only after intervention and persuasion by Gaya MP and MSME minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. However, within a few months, speculation over the continuation of the service resurfaced.Asked whether Air India had applied for slot allotment for the summer schedule, Gaya Airport officiating director Awadhesh Kumar said it had not. Airport advisory committee member Anup Kedia said the airline’s indecision was unfortunate and keeping travellers guessing was undesirable.Meanwhile, Air India station manager Dinesh Gopal said operational decisions are taken at a higher level, and he was not in a position to comment on the continuation of the Gaya–Delhi service. “Things will be clear in a couple of weeks,” he said.In the absence of effective competition, passengers are often forced to pay exorbitant fares — sometimes even double the fare on the Patna–Delhi route. Activist Syed Shad Alam said airfares need to be regulated in the interest of travellers.
