Itanagar: The Tezu airport in Lohit district is ready for commercial operation, but it has no takers so far.
None of the commercial airlines have yet shown any interest in using the airport, which has the ability to handle ATR-72s with night landing capacity. The reason being cited is that the airport is commercially unviable for scheduled flights.
No operator has come forward for scheduled flights because of cost effectiveness, said Arunachal Civil Aviation Secretary SK Jain.
In January 2018, the central government awarded 109 airports and heliports around the country, including the Tezu airport, to various airlines and helicopter operators under the second round of bidding under the regional connectivity scheme, Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN).
Jain said unscheduled flights are expected to start by the end of this year or early next year, depending on the completion of the airport in Rupsi in Dhubri, Assam.
Again cost effectiveness is being cited as the reason why the flight services, if at all they start, will fly via Rupsi in Dhubri district instead of from Dibrugarh or Guwahati.
In February this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the state had inaugurated the upgraded and retrofitted airport in Tezu by remote control at a function at IG Park here.“The Tezu airport will connect Guwahati, Jorhat and Hollongi. Fruits and flowers of the region can reach any market of the country in a few hours,” he had said.
The construction of the Hollongi greenfield airport, which has the deadline of March 2022, is yet to start because of issues regarding the rehabilitation of 156 Chakma families. The funds for relief and rehabilitation of the affected families are still being awaited.
15/09/19 Arunachal Times
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None of the commercial airlines have yet shown any interest in using the airport, which has the ability to handle ATR-72s with night landing capacity. The reason being cited is that the airport is commercially unviable for scheduled flights.
No operator has come forward for scheduled flights because of cost effectiveness, said Arunachal Civil Aviation Secretary SK Jain.
In January 2018, the central government awarded 109 airports and heliports around the country, including the Tezu airport, to various airlines and helicopter operators under the second round of bidding under the regional connectivity scheme, Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN).
Jain said unscheduled flights are expected to start by the end of this year or early next year, depending on the completion of the airport in Rupsi in Dhubri, Assam.
Again cost effectiveness is being cited as the reason why the flight services, if at all they start, will fly via Rupsi in Dhubri district instead of from Dibrugarh or Guwahati.
In February this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the state had inaugurated the upgraded and retrofitted airport in Tezu by remote control at a function at IG Park here.“The Tezu airport will connect Guwahati, Jorhat and Hollongi. Fruits and flowers of the region can reach any market of the country in a few hours,” he had said.
The construction of the Hollongi greenfield airport, which has the deadline of March 2022, is yet to start because of issues regarding the rehabilitation of 156 Chakma families. The funds for relief and rehabilitation of the affected families are still being awaited.
15/09/19 Arunachal Times
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