The appeal made by Chief Minister Pema Khandu to the Centre, seeking increased flight connectivity from Donyi Polo Airport, Hollongi, is timely. In a letter to union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Tuesday, Khandu said that, as of now, one flight each is being operated from Donyi Polo Airport to Kolkata (six times a week) and to New Delhi (four times a week). But there is a need to increase the number of flights operation from Hollongi. In particular flight service between Hollongi and Guwahati should be resumed at the earliest.
Ever since FlyBig stopped flying in this sector, no other airline has started service on the Hollongi-Guwahati sector. A large number of the people of Arunachal visit Guwahati for medical and other works-related matter. Therefore it is important to ensure flight service on this route. Similarly, Hollongi should be connected with direct flights to Bengaluru and Chennai. Here again, Chennai is one of the preferred destinations for medical treatment. On the other hand, Bengaluru is popular as an educational hub. The state government should push the Centre for more flight services connecting Hollongi with other major cities of India. Also, flight service between Tezu and Hollongi also should be operated on a bigger scale.