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HomeIndiaFlight services connecting 5 Northeastern states flagged off

Flight services connecting 5 Northeastern states flagged off

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Guwahati/ Itanagar, Oct 30 (PTI) Flight services of Alliance Air connecting Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram were flagged off on Sunday by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Alliance Air will operate three flights on the Shillong-Lilabari, Imphal-Aizawl and Ziro-Lilabari routes under the Centre’s UDAN regional connectivity scheme.

This will be the first fixed-wing commercial flight to be operated from Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh, connecting Lilabari in Assam’s Lakhimpur district.

Addressing the virtual function, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said it was a significant day as the new services will lead to better air connectivity in the Northeast, particularly in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur.

“I consider the launch of these air services not just an extension of airline routes but more importantly a futuristic gesture, which will go a long way in promoting people-to-people contact, tourism and trade,” he said.

Lilabari is the gateway to several tourist destinations and the Assam government has already handed over 84 acres of land for the construction of a basic strip and isolation bay, he added.

Flight services in the Northeast in the last five years — from August 2017 to August 2022 — saw an increase of 36 per cent, higher than the growth rates in the East, West, North and South zones, Sarma said.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed gratitude to the Centre for giving priority to the development of the Northeast, particularly connectivity in the region.

“In all spheres of connectivity — road, rail, air and digital — Northeast has witnessed unprecedented progress in the last eight years of the Modi government. The once neglected and under-developed region is today at par with other developed states of the country,” he said.

Nine advanced landing grounds (ALGs) lying unused in the state were made air-worthy in the last eight years, he said.

“While Pasighat and Tezu already have fixed-wing commercial air connectivity, today we have added Ziro. Of the remaining six ALGs, three are feasible for fixed-wing flight landing, and the other three — Tawang, Aalo and Walong — will be used as heliports,” Khandu said.

The Hollongi airport is complete and ready for operation, he said, adding that Arunachal Pradesh is waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to dedicate it to the people.

Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju, MoS for Civil Aviation VK Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur N Biren Singh, Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma and Alliance Air CEO Vineet Sood attended the function. PTI SSG UPL SOM SOM

This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

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