Air India has withdrawn its full-service operations from Imphal International Airport starting June 15, the second such move in the Northeast this month.
On June 1, the airline had pulled out its full-service operations from Silchar airport in Assam.
According to Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials in Imphal, the move is part of a “long-standing, pre-planned strategic decision” and not related to the June 12 Ahmedabad crash or any other incident. Imphal airport will now be served by Air India Express, a low-cost subsidiary of Air India.
On Sunday, AAI Imphal posted on X about the airline’s last Imphal-Calcutta flight at 4pm, sharing photos of staff waving the aircraft goodbye. “Farewell to a Legacy... Air India’s final departure marks the end of an era,” the AAI said, thanking the airline for its service to Manipur.
State Congress chief K. Meghachandra Singh and Cocomi convener Khuraijam Athoubaurged voiced concern over the move, calling air travel a necessity in the conflict-hit and landlocked Manipur.
