Air India has introduced Imphal-Delhi direct flight service from January 2 in the state. There would be two flights a week on Sunday and Tuesday.
The flight from New Delhi will take off around 9.25 am and arrive at Imphal airport at around 12.05pm. Similarly it will take off from Imphal airport at around 3.35pm and arrive at Delhi around 6.10pm, according to Air India city officials in Imphal.
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This will save at least an hour’s time, sources added. Earlier people used to stop for an hour at Guwahati airport on the way to New Delhi from Imphal or Imphal to New Delhi.
Speaking to the media, on Thursday evening Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh, informed about the new flight information.
“I’ve discussed with the top officials of Air Asia and Airports Authority of India to facilitate launching of daily Imphal-Delhi direct flights,” Biren Singh said. He expressed confidence that Air Asia may introduce daily flights between Imphal and the National capital from the first week of April this year.
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He also informed that he had requested Air Asia officials to introduce direct flights from Imphal to cities like Chennai and Bengaluru, where a sizable number of Manipuri people reside.
Imphal which once had a single flight to New Delhi on a weekly basis now has at least 8 to 10 flights a day.
The other flights in operation at Imphal International Airport apart from Air India on a daily basis are Air Asia and Indigo. With five flights on a daily basis, Indigo has the maximum number of flights. It has two flights from Imphal-Guwahati-New Delhi, two from Imphal-Kolkata and one Imphal-Guwahati-Hyderabad.
Air India has two flights a day-Imphal-Guwahati-New Delhi and Imphal-Kolkata while Air Asia has Imphal-Guwahati-New Delhi.
Even though Jet Airways has stopped passenger flights, it operates cargo service on every alternate days, according to officials from Imphal airport.