The first-ever "Made-in-India" commercial flight — a 17-seater Dornier (Do-228) aircraft — will start operations today. Under the UDAN scheme, the aircraft will boost air connectivity in the northeastern region by connecting five remote towns of Arunachal Pradesh with Assam’s Dibrugarh.
The first flight will take off from Dibrugarh and land in the Pasighat town of Arunachal Pradesh. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will be present for Do-228's first flight.
Who manufactured the aircraft?
The Dornier aircraft has been built by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the state-owned aerospace and defence company headquartered in Bengaluru. The aircraft is capable of day and night operations.
HAL delivers first civil Do-228 aircraft under UDAN scheme for deployment in the State of Arunachal Pradesh by Alliance Air. @SpokespersonMoD @drajaykumar_ias @DefProdnIndia @gopalsutar @allianceair pic.twitter.com/dRxI6zb5qD— HAL (@HALHQBLR) April 8, 2022
Who will operate the aircraft?
On April 8, HAL handed over two Dornier aircraft to state-run Alliance Air Aviation Ltd. In a tweet, the aviation company said, "Alliance Air takes delivery of its first Made in India Dornier 228. The 17-seater non-pressurised Dornier 228 with an AC cabin capable of day and night operations. The light transport aircraft will facilitate regional connectivity in northeastern states."
Alliance Air will take off into the skies of Arunachal Pradesh with its #MadeInIndia fleet - HAL Dornier 228, working towards a mission to connect the North-Eastern Region of India to enhance commerce and economic growth. pic.twitter.com/4IYmNQwr54— Alliance Air (@allianceair) April 9, 2022
Which places will the aircraft connect?
The aircraft will connect five remote towns of Arunachal Pradesh with Assam’s Dibrugarh. While the first flight will operate from Dibrugarh to Pasighat, it will fly to Tezu and then to Ziro in the next 15-20 days in Arunachal Pradesh.
In the second phase, the flight is expected to fly to Arunachal’s Vijaynagar and Mechuka as well.
Significance
It used to take one to five days of travel for people in eastern Arunachal Pradesh towns to reach the nearest airports of Dibrugarh and Lilabari in Assam. With the start of commercial Dornier aircraft, travelling to other states would become much simpler.
Further, providing air connectivity to towns located close to China and Myanmar borders has strategic advantages as well. So far, the Dornier 228 planes are used by the armed forces only.
Government’s vision
The government has two major objectives — making India self-reliant in the aviation sector and improving air connectivity all across the country. In line with the government's "Make in India" scheme, HAL delivered its first passenger-version of the Do-228 aircraft to the Mauritius Government.
Last year, Scindia announced that the Centre aims to set up 1,000 air routes and establish 100 new airports by 2025 under the Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) regional connectivity scheme. Shortly after, HAL signed an agreement with Alliance Air for the supply of two civil Do-228 aircraft.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
First Published: Apr 12, 2022 5:46 PM IST
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