Made-in-India Dornier plane takes off for first commercial flight

Scindia and Rijiju boarded the flight at the Mohanpur airport in Asssam's Dibrugarh for Pasighat in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh

Dornier 228, the first Made-in-India aircraft began its commercial operations on Tuesday with a maiden flight from Dibrugarh in Assam and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh.

The aircraft, manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) and being operated by Alliance Air, took off from Dibrugarh and landed at Pasighat with Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, among other officials on board.

The flight was started under the “Providing Air Connectivity and Aviation infrastructure in North Eastern Region” scheme of the ministry to promote air connectivity in the northeast and to develop infrastructure for air connectivity.

"Overjoyed and proud to embark on the 17-seater Made-in-India Dornier 228 aircraft - in its first-ever maiden service to Arunachal Pradesh," Scindia tweeted after landing at Pasighat.

The HAL has been manufacturing the Dornier 228 aircraft after a transfer of technology from a German firm, but it was utilised for the first time for civil aviation purposes. HAL supplied two Dornier 228 aircrafts recently to Alliance Air, the public sector airlines company, as per an agreement for commercial operations.

"This will connect the airstrips of Arunachal Pradesh with Assam, and soon with other regions. Indeed, a new chapter in India’s “Look East” policy," Scindia further tweeted.

"Connectivity in NER is very essential and Under “Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN)”, the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has identified NER as a priority area. This has helped in enhancing inter and intra connectivity for the NER. In this regard, new airports are getting developed and old airports are getting upgraded. Considering the hilly terrain, helicopter operations under UDAN scheme have been given focus for connectivity," said a statement issued by the ministry.

The Dibrugarh-Pasighat-Lilabari (North Lakhimpur, Assam) flight will become operational twice a week from April 18. Scindia informed that the Dornier 228 flights will start operating to and from Tezu in Lohit district and Ziro in Lower Subansiri in a month.

Scindia said that the northeast had nine airports in 2014 when Narendra Modi-led government came to power and it has now increased to 15. A total of 18 new airstrips and heliports worth Rs 180 crore will be built in northeast in the coming days, he said.

Scindia further informed that of the Rs 500-crore budget received for air connectivity in the northeast from the Union Finance Ministry, almost 50 per cent of it is earmarked for Arunachal Pradesh.

"Of the Rs 500 crore, Rs 227 crore will be utilized to improve air connectivity in Arunachal alone," he said.

Further, six new heliports will be developed in Arunachal Pradesh at Daporijo, Itanagar, Tuting, Walong, Yingkiong and Ziro at an estimated cost of about Rs 50 crore within a year.

Revamp of air connectivity in Arunachal Pradesh, both for defence and civil aviation purposes is seen as significant given the fact that China claims the entire state as part of its South Tibet region.

Scindia also inaugurated a Flying Training Organisation (FLO) at Lilabari in Lakhimpur, Assam to train manpower in the Northeast for aviation. The ministry is planning to establish nine more FTOs in the Northeast.