PASIGHAT, 12 Apr: A Dornier 228 aircraft, manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), landed here in East Siang district on Tuesday in its maiden commercial flight from Assam’s Dibrugarh district, with union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on board, marking the start of inter-and intra-state commercial flights in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Dibrugarh-Pasighat-Lilabari-Dibrugarh route will see operations twice a week from 18 April. The services will be operated by Alliance Air under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN.
Congratulating the people of the state on the commencement of the new fixed-wing passenger services, Scindia said that Dornier 228 flights will also start operating to and from Tezu in Lohit district “within the next three weeks.” He assured that Ziro in Lower Subansiri will also be connected in the next 30 days.
“Expanding civil aviation is not only a facet of improved connectivity but it is the engine of economic development for the region. Where there is an airport with regular flight services, it is ensured that the place will develop economically,” Scindia said.
He said that the central government is committed to developing the Northeast at par with the rest of the country, with civil aviation being one of the important sectors.
The union minister claimed that till 2014, there were only 74 airports in the country. He said that, since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, the number of airports has increased to 140 in just seven years.
He said airports in the Northeast increased to 15 from nine in 2014.
“The number will continue to grow in the next six months. The greenfield airport in Hollongi, Arunachal’s first full-fledged airport (being built at an estimate cost of Rs 650 crores), is just one. Eighteen new airstrips and heliports worth Rs 180 crores will be built in the Northeast in the coming days,” he said.
Scindia further said that, of the Rs 500 crores budget received from the union finance ministry for air connectivity in the Northeast region, almost 50 percent of fund is earmarked for Arunachal.
“Of the Rs 500 crores, Rs 227 crores will be utilised to improve air connectivity in Arunachal alone,” he said.
Scindia said that about Rs 70 crores has been earmarked for development of the Tezu airport, and Rs 5-10 crores will be utilised for developing infrastructure of the Pasighat airport. Further, six new heliports will be developed in Arunachal Pradesh in Daporijo, Itanagar, Tuting, Walong, Yingkiong and Ziro, at an estimated cost of about Rs 50 crores, within a year, he said.
Scindia emphasised on the need to provide training to local youths, so that they can be employed in these airports, as well as fly these aircraft.
“Therefore, establishment of flying training organisations (FTO) is a must in the region,” he said.
The minister informed that there are only 34 FTOs across the country and the ministry is planning to establish nine new FTOs in the Northeast. The first one, he said, will be opened at Lilabari.
“In the next phase, we will open 15 more FTOs and one will be sanctioned at Tezu for Arunachal Pradesh,” he announced.
Scindia thanked Chief Minister Pema Khandu for accepting his request for lowering the VAT on air turbine fuel from 20 percent to 1 percent.
“I had made the request last Friday through a video conferencing and today as I landed in Pasighat, he (Khandu) hands me the official notification. That’s how a young and visionary chief minister works!” he added.
Khandu said that, with air connectivity getting a new boost, the rural economy of the state would witness a sharp rise in the days to come.
The chief minister, on behalf of the state government and the people of the state, thanked the union government and the civil aviation ministry for the “historic” development in the state.
Under a tripartite agreement, the HAL has developed two Dornier 228 aircraft, especially for operations by Alliance Air in Arunachal.
The HAL has been manufacturing Dornier aircraft after transfer of technology from the German firm that owned it, but made-in-India aircrafts were not used for civil aviation until now.
The 17-seater aircraft is capable of both day and night operations and will connect tier 2 and 3 towns in the region.
MP Tapir Gao, state Civil Aviation Minister Nakap Nalo, Health Minister Alo Libang, legislators Kaling Moyong, Ninong Ering, Lombo Tayeng, Kento Rina, Ojing Tasing and Rode Bui, union Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, HAL CMD R Madhavan, AAI Chairman Sanjeev Kumar, Civil Aviation Joint Secretaries Usha Padhee and Ambar Dubey, and Alliance Air’s CEO Vineet Sood were present on the occasion. (CM’s PR Cell)
