Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia flagged off first direct flight on Shillong-Dibrugarh route

 We want to bring travellers from all over the country to the Northeast: Jyotiraditya M. Scindia

A CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, on Tuesday virtually flagged off the first direct flight on the Shillong-Dibrugarh route under the Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (RCS-UDAN).

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, Member of Parliament, Vincent H. Pala, Dr. Wanwei Roy Kharlukhi, Rajya Sabha MP, Dasakhiatbha Lamare, Stater Transport Minister and State Cabinet Minister Sanbor Shullai graced the launch event of the Shillong-Dibrugarh flight.

Scindia, said, "Shillong is one of the highest and wettest places in the world. The place is important not only for the country but for the entire world. Shillong has always been known as Scotland of East due to the presence of rolling hills, caves, tallest waterfalls, beautiful landscapes and its rich heritage and culture. There's nothing that Meghalaya does not have to offer. The place attracts tourists from all over the world."

The Union Minister of Civil Aviation further emphasized, "In 2014, only six airports were operational in the Northeast which has now risen to 15 airports in 2021. Within a short span of seven years, we have achieved this ambitious target. I assure you that this is just the beginning and we are further committed to enhancing the inter-state and intra-state connectivity of the Northeast." He also said that apart from promoting flight connectivity, the focus would be on developing the infrastructure capabilities along with helicopter services for the last mile delivery.

Scindia said that the Centre recently launched the Helicopter policy to further promote heli services in the Northeast. "We want to bring travellers from all over the country to the Northeast," he added.

The beautiful city of Shillong is surrounded by hills from all sides. Famous for the presence of many well-reputed educational institutions, Shillong is the hub of education for entire Northeast India. Due to the non-availability of any direct mode of transportation, people were compelled to cover a long 12-hour journey by road and train to travel between Shillong and Dibrugarh. Now, people can easily fly between the two cities by opting for a flight of just 75 minutes.

The airline M/s Indigo was awarded the Shillong - Dibrugarh route during the UDAN 4 bidding process. The airlines are being provided Viability Gap Funding (VGF) under the UDAN scheme to keep the fares affordable and accessible for the common people. The airline will deploy its 78-seater ATR 72 aircraft. Till date, 389 routes and 62 airports (including five heliports and two water aerodromes) have been operationalized under the UDAN scheme.

The scheme is envisaged to establish strong aerial connectivity in all States and Union Territories (UTs) of the country which hitherto were not connected, laying the foundation of a new regional segment in India's aviation market.

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