North East airline to take off next year
SHILLONG, June 15 – Come 2009, the eight States in the North East will
come closer with greater air connectivity.
The North Eastern Council has set in motion a process to run a commercial
airline between the landlocked States of the region. A global tender for the
proposed airline, floated in May, will close on June 30.
NEC adviser (T&C) MS Sodhi said the NEC would give subsidy to make the
commercial air service economically viable.
At least a dozen more airports would be constructed in the region during the
11th Five Year Plan in addition to the existing 11 airports, the official said.
Also detailed project reports to revive the non-functional airports like Rupsi,
Kamalpur, Pasighat and Tezu were being prepared by the Airports Authority of
India.
“Though the tender process needs time and has to be approved by several
Ministries at the Centre, NEC intends to launch the airline service by January
1 next year,” Sodhi said.
The basic objective of the airline would be to provide air connectivity to all
the State capitals in the North East as well as other airports in the region
including Bagdogra in north Bengal.
Further, it has plans to provide a schedule with a minimum frequency which
allows for travel from one destination to another as well as to utilize the
existing airline schedules to provide connectivity on trunk routes.
The aircraft to be inducted in the new airline would be Jet or turboprop ones
with short take-off and landing capability. The carriers must have a minimum
start-up capital of Rs 30 crore and operate at least four aircrafts with a
take-off mass of over 40 tonnes.
This has been a long-standing demand of all the State Governments in the
region, with Nagaland already buying helicopters for commercial service linking
remote districts.
The proposed airline will be expected to fly 400 flights every month connecting
the region internally by the end of 2009.
A tender floated last year did not gain the kind of response the government had
hoped for. Officials said the new tender was expected to bring in better
offers.
The government is also considering a proposal to relax norms to allow airlines
flying in the North East to connect international destinations from Guwahati
airport.
According to Airports Authority of India officials, the absence of night
landing or instrument-guided landing facilities in most of the North East
airports has made it difficult for commercial flights to land after 4 pm.
Eight airports are likely to get night landing facilities. “A detailed project
report is being prepared to set up a new airport in Sikkim at an estimated cost
of Rs 340 crore. Sikkim Government will pay about Rs 100 crore and provide land
at Pakyong,” they said. At present Sikkim depends on Bagdogra airport near
Siliguri.
The AAI has also selected sites at Banderdewa near Itanagar and Chiethu near
Kohima for new airports in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland respectively.
Construction of these airports is likely to be taken up during the 11th Five
Year Plan.
“Airlines might be permitted to provide connections out of Guwahati to
countries in Southeast Asia. Besides improving connectivity, this could also
contribute to the viability of airline operations in the North East,” the NEC
officials said.
Besides, the Centre also plans to study how to link some of the tourist
destinations in the North East like Tawang, Kaziranga and Majuli island by air.
– PTI
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