There will be six new no-frills airports in the Northeast region under the Regional Connectivity Scheme – UDAN.
“We will develop no-frills airports in Silchar, Dimapur, Aizawl, Pasighat, Lilabari, Rupsi to boost the demand,” Dr Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI) said during a press meet in Guwahati on Monday.
“Due to the terrain of Northeast, air transport is the most convenient way of travel,” he noted.
These flight services will be available at affordable fares of Rs. 2500 for per hour flight and aims to enhance intra-regional connectivity.
Under UDAN, a number of un-served and under-served airports will be developed. This scheme is under Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India.
“India has one of the fastest growing aviation industries and to develop it further we have to meet the infrastructural challenges,” Mohapatra said.
The airports will be developed by expanding runways, construction of terminal buildings, creating provision of mobile towers.
“There will be portable cabins for the first three years until the demand is stabilized,” Mohapatra added.
“We aim to complete the project in the next three to four years,” he said.
The airports will be completed in two phases.
In the first phase, the Shillong airport will be connected to Silchar in Assam, Imphal in Manipur, Dimapur in Nagaland, Aizawl in Mizoram and Agartala in Tripura.
During the second phase, Pasighat and Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh and Jorhat, Lilabari, Tezpur and Rupsi in Assam will be developed for fixed wing operations.