SHILLONG: The state government is optimistic of starting the Shillong-Delhi direct flight by March this year and if the move is successful, it would be a great boon to the aerial connectivity of the landlocked region.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that the state government has floated tenders for Shillong-Delhi direct flight and the pre-bid meeting will be held this week.
In the pre-bid meeting, the interested parties will come and discuss about the starting of direct flights between Shillong and the national capital.
Asked about the time frame for the services to start, the chief minister said, “We are targeting that by March the flight should start, so hopefully, the paper work and formalities should be completed and we should be able to begin”.
Enquired who are the bidders, the chief minister said, “Whoever gives us the best deal we will go for it”.
It may be mentioned that this move of the state government comes after the launch of Shillong-Kolkata flight of Indigo in July last year.
It may be recalled that one such initiative to connect Shillong to different Northeastern states was under the UDAN scheme which never saw the light of the day.
The government could not connect Shillong with New Delhi since the scheme is limited to a certain square kilometer and hence the idea did not apply.
The aerial connectivity in the state is still wanting, despite the fact that the state has huge potential as far as the tourism sector is concerned, which has also attracted many visitors.
