SHILLONG/ GUWAHATI, Oct 30: In a move that will boost connectivity in the Northeast, Alliance Air will operate three flights on the Shillong-Lilabari, Imphal-Aizawl and Ziro-Lilabari routes under the Centre’s regional connectivity scheme — Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN).
Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia flagged-off the the operations of Alliance Air in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram at a virtual function which was attended by Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and other ministers and members of parliament from the Northeastern states.
A pre-recorded video message from Chief Minister Conrad Sangma was played on the occasion.
The Shillong-Lilabari-Shillong flight will begin operation on Monday and operate four times a week.
In his inaugural address, Scindia said the Union government has given special emphasis on air connectivity for the Northeastern region. In the last eight years, seven airports have been developed in the region.
Under the UDAN scheme, 14% of routes have been awarded to the Northeast. Under the same scheme about 18% of routes have been awarded to the Northeast, he said, adding that a corpus of Rs 500 crore has been dedicated to air connectivity in the region.
Further, under UDAN, 25 airports have been incentivised in the region, the Union minister said.
The enhanced aerial connectivity in the mountainous cities of the five states of the Northeast will play a vital role in creating the ease of living for the residents of the region and boosting tourism and trade, a government statement added.
Sarma termed it a significant day as the Alliance Air operations would lead to greater air connectivity in the Northeast, particularly between the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur.
“I consider the launch of these air operations 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.
Sarma said the Northeastern states have witnessed unprecedented improvement in the connectivity sector in the last eight years due to the policy of “transformation through transportation”.
“Lilabari (in Lakhimpur district) is an important corridor to the Northeastern states. The airport is a corridor to several tourist places as the Assam government, for the development of the airport, has already handed over 84 acres of land for construction of the basic strip and isolation bay,” he said.
“The Northeast is fuelling India’s aviation growth. The industry has achieved a milestone which was unthinkable a few years ago. With the UDAN scheme in force, aircraft movement in the Northeast rose to 7,973 flights between August 2017 and August 2022, which is an increase of 36%, higher than the growth rates in the east, west, north and south zones,” he said.
