Itanagar: In a historic day for Arunachal Pradesh, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday flagged off the maiden commercial flight of IndiGo airlines from Kolkata to the Donyi-Polo Airport here.
The flight which took off from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata at 10.20 am with 99 passengers on board arrived at the Donyi-Polo Airport at 12.35 pm.
The day also saw deputy chief minister Chowna Mein flag-off the return flight from the airport to Kolkata and Mumbai.
Located at Hollongi, around 15 km from here, the Donyi-Polo Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 19.
Terming the occasion as historic, Mein said it is the beginning of a new chapter in the civil aviation history of the state.
“From today onwards we are going to have direct air-connectivity from Itanagar to Kolkata, Mumbai and other metro cities across the country. Also the people from the rest of the country can now explore the rich scenic beauties and diverse cultures of our state,” Mein said.
The deputy chief minister said that Alliance Air will also start its fixed wing flight services along the Dibrugarh-Hollongi-Ziro-Lilabari and the Dibrugarh-Hollongi-Pasighat routes from November 29 and 30 respectively.
”We will also have air connectivity with remote border areas such as Tuting, Mechukha and Vijaynagar with fixed wing aircraft in the future,” he said.
Also read: It’s official: Cabinet chooses ‘Donyi Polo’ as greenfield airport’s name
