Here is the good news for travellers who want to explore the remotest part of Arunachal Pradesh. In recent years connectivity within the state has improved a lot. Now Arunachal has achieved another milestone in air connectivity.
As per the media report, passenger flight service to the remote town of Arunachal such as Mechuka, Tuting, Ziro, and Vijaynagar will start very soon. According to an official statement, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed an agreement with Alliance Air to lease out two ‘made in India’ Dornier DO-228, a 16-seater aircraft, for operation in the state under the Centre’s UDAAN scheme. Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu was present virtually when the agreement was signed.
How will it influence tourism in the state?
This major boost in Air connectivity will improve tourism inside the state. Till date, we can see a large tourist footfall only in the western part of Arunachal i.e., Tawang. Suppose in a present scenario, if a person wants to add Ziro in his tour plan while visiting Tawang, he has to travel almost 360 km by road from Bhalukpong. After starting of passenger flight service, he will need to travel only up to Itanagar from Bhalukpong which is 175 km. After that, he can avail the flight service.
For Vijaynagar, there is only a trek route from Miao through the Namdapha National Park. It takes almost 6 days to reach. The passenger flight service will reduce this journey to few hours only. If you want to know offbeat places of Arunachal Pradesh, you can check this link.
When Will Flight Operation Be Started:
As per the report, the Do-228 services will be introduced in 3 phases. The Pasighat and Tezu Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) will be connected in the first phase. During the second phase, Mechuka, Tuting, Vijaynagar, and Ziro will be connected. Two more ALGs i.e., Dirang and, Daporijo will be connected in the third phase. However, the exact dates of starting the services are not yet finalized.
However, CM Pema Khandu said that the civil passenger terminal buildings (PTB) at Ziro and Tuting are under construction and would be completed by the year-end. The PTB at Mechuka is also under construction while Pasighat and Tezu already have the mandatory infrastructure. He also assured that; a core group would be constituted to finalize the operational plan for the two DO-228 aircraft within the next two months.
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