ITANAGAR, 4 Sep: Civil Aviation Minister Balo Raja on Thursday urged the union Civil Aviation Ministry to strengthen connectivity in the frontier state by expanding routes, upgrading airports and advanced landing grounds (ALGs), and deploying CISF personnel at key airports.
“We need runway extension and instrument landing systems at Tezu Airport and existing ALGs like Ziro, Aalo, Pasighat, Tuting, Walong, Vijaynagar and Mechukha,” Raja said while addressing the third Northeast Aviation Summit and Regional Ministers’ Conference on Civil Aviation here.
“Since these ALGs serve both civilian and defence purposes, I also request induction of small aircraft with short take-off and landing (STOL) systems, which are ideal for such locations,” the minister said.
On security, Raja pressed for urgent deployment of CISF personnel at Donyi Polo and Tezu airports, which are currently managed by the state police.
“Airport security is highly specialised. Our police are trained for other purposes. The ministry is requested to consider early deployment of CISF personnel with proper accommodation facilities,” he said.
He also suggested the creation of a state industrial security force with CISF-like training, supported by an aviation security training centre in Itanagar.
Highlighting healthcare needs, the minister proposed a dedicated helicopter ambulance service for the Northeast.
“Why can’t we explore its solution by having a helicopter emergency medical service, in the form of a helicopter ambulance, which can be stationed at Guwahati? This would be one of the greatest achievements of summits like this,” Raja said.
The minister also pitched for boosting tourism through aviation.
“Donyi Polo Airport can accommodate four big helicopters at a time. If chartered helicopters and small flights operate directly from here to tourist destinations like Tawang, Mechukha, Ziro, Namdapha and Parashuram Kund, tourists can save time and our sector will flourish,” he observed.
The minister informed that air cargo operations has begun from Itanagar, with IndiGo’s first outbound cargo to Delhi flagged off on 28 August.
“Our local farmers can now avoid losses of their perishable items by availing this fastest mode of transportation,” he said.
Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Raja recalled how the Donyi Polo Airport was delivered swiftly.
“It was a distant dream for us to have an airport in the state capital till 2014. We could not even believe that an airport like ours could be completed and made operational within three years, that too amidst the Covid pandemic,” he said.
He welcomed the upcoming daily non-stop Delhi-Itanagar flight, starting 17 September, and called for faster expansion.
“We are eagerly waiting for connectivity to southern and other major cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi,” he added.
Vision to make NE logistics, aviation hub: NaiduÂ
Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, who also attended the summit, said that the Centre’s vision is to make the Northeast a logistics and aviation hub connecting India with Southeast Asia.
Naidu said that all eight Northeastern states are now connected by air, with the number of operational airports in the region rising from nine in 2014 to 16 at present.
“The Centre’s vision is to make the Northeast a logistics and aviation hub connecting India with Southeast Asia. By 2047, India will operate more than 350 airports. The Northeast will be central to this growth,” he said.
“Aircraft movements have nearly doubled from 51,000 in 2014 to over 96,000 in 2024, reflecting the sharp increase in demand and the faith of passengers in our aviation sector,” he said.
International traffic from Guwahati has already grown fivefold in the past year, driven largely by new services to Thailand, he said.
Naidu said the Udaan regional connectivity scheme has been extended for another 10 years in a modified form, calling it the “biggest catalyser of regional aviation growth.”
Since its inception in 2016, Udaan has enabled more than 700 new routes, many in difficult terrains like the Northeast, making air travel accessible to smaller towns.
The minister outlined several major projects in the pipeline, including a new terminal at the Imphal Airport by 2025, development of the Tura Airport in Meghalaya, runway extension work at the Shillong Airport, and proposals for Kailashahar Airport in Tripura, a greenfield airport in Silchar, and a civil enclave in Jorhat.
The event was attended by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, state Civil Aviation Minister Balo Raja, Assam minister Jogen Mohan, Sikkim Tourism Minister Tshering Thendup Bhutia, Chief Secretary Manish Kumar Gupta, Airports Authority of India Chairman Vipin Kumar, and civil aviation officials from other Northeastern states. (PTI)
