Patna: Patna and Bhopal were connected by a direct flight service for the first time on Monday, giving passengers a non-stop travel option between Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Officials said the maiden Alliance Air flight was an important addition to Patna’s air connectivity and would make travel between the two state capitals faster and more convenient.Flight 9I-733 departed from Jayprakash Narayan International Airport at 1.45pm for Bhopal with 29 passengers. The return flight, 9I-734, landed at Patna at 7pm with 31 passengers.“Until now, travellers between Patna and Bhopal often had to rely on connecting flights, adding to both travel time and inconvenience. The direct service will remove the need for such connections and provide a more seamless journey. This is the first direct flight between Bihar and MP,” said airport director (incharge) Santosh Kumar.He added, “The Alliance Air had earlier operated ATR flights for Lucknow and other neighbouring states. Now, they have started flights for Bhopal and Kolkata.”The Kolkata-Patna flight reached here at 1.15pm and left for Kolkata at 7.30pm. Airline executives cut a cake to mark the launch of the two flights, though a water salute could not take place due to some issues. The new flights will operate thrice a week — Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays.Patna airport currently handles around 72 to 74 arrivals and departures daily, with average passenger footfall of 8,000 to 10,000. The number of flights has reached 76-78.With Bhopal, Patna now has direct air links with several major cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Ghaziabad, Pune, Lucknow, Ranchi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Navi Mumbai. The city airport has 25 flights operated by IndiGo, Air India Express (5), Air India (5) and SpiceJet (2).
