Air travel in Surguja, Chhattisgarh, has come to a standstill once again. Fly Big, the airline responsible for operating flights in the region, has not run any flights for the past three weeks, blaming the monsoon weather for the disruption.
In the last 21 days, only one flight has taken off, leaving local residents upset & frustrated. Even this week, there are no scheduled flights for Surguja.
Service has been patchy from the start
When Surguja Airport first opened, Fly Big was chosen to run the flights. Initially, services were available 5 days a week. But soon after, they were cut down to just 3 days—Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Even with this limited schedule, cancellations have been common and unpredictable.
Fly Big has said the monsoon rains are making operations difficult. Its small 19-seater aircraft struggles to land and take off safely during bad weather. The Raipur–Ambikapur route has been directly affected. This isn’t the first time flights have stopped—earlier, the airline paused services due to technical issues, raising concerns about how dependable the service really is.
Flights to Bilaspur see poor turnout
Currently, the three-day schedule includes flights between Raipur and Ambikapur, and a route from Ambikapur to Bilaspur and back. But the Ambikapur–Bilaspur leg isn’t doing well. Low passenger numbers are making it hard to keep that route going.
Airport lacks modern landing system
A big reason for all these disruptions is the absence of an Instrumental Landing System (ILS) at Darima Airport in Surguja. Because it’s located near the Mainpat hills, pilots need at least 5 km of clear visibility to land safely. That’s nearly impossible during heavy rains.
People are losing patience
Locals are growing more and more disappointed. Many have asked for new routes like Ambikapur to Varanasi or Prayagraj, but no progress has been made. Without reliable flights, the airport isn’t serving the region the way it was meant to.