NASHIK, NOV 12NASHIK has vanished from the air map of the country once again, returning to its status of a city with two airports but no air link. The `Maharashtra Spanair,' a joint venture of Span Airways and SICOM (a state government undertaking) has discontinued the Mumbai-Nashik air link indefinitely following a row with the army over security checks.

A single flight daily had been launched between Mumbai and Nashik on April 22, 1997, when the company operated a 12-seater Beechcraft on the route as a part of the government's ambitious plan to connect important districts in the state by air. On July 1, the flights were suspended on account of `bad weather. It was announced that the flights would commence from September 14. However, the promise has yet to be fulfilled.

When contacted, officials stated that the major hitch in reviving the flights was the absence of infrastructure for security checks of passengers at the Gandhinagar airport, about five km from Nashik city. The Artillery Centre,`

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.