Heli-service increases number of flights but there are only so many seats and so many flying hours

PAWAN HANS CHOPPER FLIES 4 FLIGHTS TO BAGDOGRA ON DAY 1 OF DARJ BANDH, PLANS 7 FROM TOMORROW ONWARDS
GANGTOK, 09 Feb: The Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation [STDC] Heli-Service, even though offering only a cramped 5-seater option, invariably runs more sorties when the highway shuts down due to bandhs or landslides. National Highway 31A was closed even for vehicular traffic from Sikkim due to a GJM bandh in the Darjeeling hills and this set up the Pawan Hans helicopter to fly four sorties to Bagdogra and back. The STDC had planned for 5, but inclement weather late in the afternoon forced it to abandon it last flight out.
Given the need to pack in more flights into the 7-hour flying hours the chopper service has in a day, STDC has started flying out of the Mamring ground at Rangpo instead of the helipad in Gangtok. This cuts down flight time by 20 minutes per two and fro flight from Bagdogra and serve the passengers just as well because it lands them in a bandh free Sikkim where they can continue their journey easily.
What the flights from Mamring also achieve is a central location even for passengers coming in from South and West districts, explains Vijay Thapa, General Manager, STDC.
Although the helicopter could swing on four two and fro flights today, starting Thursday, STDC plans to squeeze in seven flights.
Tickets have already sold out with all possible flights booked till 13 February. With only SNT buses allowed on the highway today, and no taxis or jeeps getting through, the rush is expected to only increase if the indefinite bandh called in the Darjeeling hills does keep Sikkim locked out for longer.