SHILLONG, Dec 9: The Delhi-Shillong direct flight will start from December 21, which is also the day when the state will reopen its doors for tourists, nine months after the pandemic put the brakes on a burgeoning industry.
“At the same time when we start tourism, I am happy to inform that the first flight from Delhi to Shillong will also start on December 21,” chief minister Conrad Sangma told reporters here on Wednesday.
Informing that the airlines have confirmed the start of the service as scheduled, Sangma said, “We will ensure that the flight from Delhi to Shillong is operational at least twice a week. But the first flight will be on the 21st (December).”
Asked about the size of the aircraft, given that the airport at Umroi is not equipped for bigger aircraft to land while ATRs have limited fuel capacity for a direct flight, the chief minister said, “It is not a small flight… it is a 72-seater flight…more (having greater capacity) than an AT3. It is a Q400 flight and it is more enhanced than the ATRs and it will be direct flight from Shillong to Delhi and Delhi to Shillong”.
Earlier last month, Sangma and DoNER Minister, Jitendra Singh had held discussions on the direct flight service.
According to an official statement issued earlier, Singh had noted with appreciation the decision to start the direct flight from Shillong to the national capital.
The DoNER minister had said that the direct flight service was a long pending requirement and that Shillong deserved to have the facility. “A direct flight to Shillong from Delhi will not only bring ease of travel but also promote tourism in the state,” he stated.
The DoNER minister further said that special impetus was being given to improve connectivity and transport through new airports, flights in different sectors, double-gauge rail tracks, network of roads and new inland waterways across the region.