Inauguration of first direct flight between Shillong-Dibrugarh route under UDAN

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said, “Shillong is one of the highest and wettest places in the world. This place is important not only for the country but for the whole world. Shillong has always been known as the Scotland of the East due to the presence of rolling hills, caves, tallest waterfalls, beautiful landscape and its rich heritage and culture. There is nothing that Meghalaya does not have. This place attracts tourists from all over the world.”

The Minister further emphasized that “In 2014, only 6 airports were operational in North East which has now increased to 15 airports in 2021. Within a short span of 7 years, we have achieved this ambitious target. I trust you. Let me assure that this is just the beginning, we are committed to further enhance the inter-state and inter-state connectivity of the Northeast. Apart from promoting flight connectivity, our focus is on infrastructure as well as development of helicopter services for last mile delivery. To ensure that we have recently launched the Helicopter Policy to further boost heli services in the North-East. We want to bring passengers from across the country to the North-East.”

The beautiful city of Shillong is surrounded by hills on all sides. Renowned for the presence of several prestigious educational institutions, Shillong is the center of education for the whole of North-East India. Apart from being a center of beauty and education, Shillong also serves as the gateway to Meghalaya, a state famous for heavy rainfall, caves, tallest waterfalls, beautiful landscapes and its rich heritage and culture.

Shillong is famous for Elephant Falls, Shillong Peak, Umiam Lake, Sohpetbaneng Peak, Don Bosco Museum, Latlum Canyon. In addition, Shillong is the only capital city in Northeast India to form two football clubs that participate in the I-League, namely Royal Wahingdoh FC and Shillong Lajong FC. Apart from these, Shillong Golf Course is one of the oldest golf courses in the country.

Due to non-availability of any direct means of transport, people were forced to cover a long journey of 12 hours by road and train to travel between Shillong and Dibrugarh. Now, natives can easily fly between the two cities by simply opting for a 75-minute flight.

The airline IndiGo was awarded the Shillong-Dibrugarh route during the UDAN 4 bidding process. Viability Gap Funding (VGF) is being provided to airlines under the UDAN scheme to make fares affordable and accessible to the general public. The airline will deploy its 78-seater ATR 72 aircraft.

So far 389 routes and 62 airports (including 5 heliports and 2 water aerodromes) have been operationalized under the UDAN scheme. The scheme is envisaged to establish strong air connectivity to all the States and Union Territories of the country which were not connected till now, laying the foundation for a new regional segment in India’s aviation market.