PMO push to tender for Northeast air link

New Delhi: The Prime Minister’s Office has asked the government to come out with a fresh tender to float an airline that will connect a host of airports in the Northeast.
With the state-run Alliance Air’s contract to run air services within the region having ended in December last year, the PMO has asked the government to float a global tender for an airline that will run a fleet exclusively for the region.
Top officials said the plan for an airline for the Northeast was floated by Manipur Governor S.S. Sidhu and was being pushed by Meghalaya chief secretary Ranjan Chatterjee.
Chatterjee is also currently in the fray for the position of chairman, Air India.
Both Sidhu and Chatterjee have considerable experience in the civil aviation sector and are of the opinion that an airline that would operate out of a hub at Guwahati and connect the difficult Northeast terrain using small passenger aircraft, could be viable with a small subsidy.
The selected airline will be subsidised by funds from the North Eastern Council (NEC) and will be expected to fly as many as 400 flights every month connecting the region internally by the end of 2009.
24/02/08 Jayanta Roy Chowdhury/The Telegraph

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Categories: Air India Regional Feb 2008, airports Feb 2008, New Feb 2008