Udhe flight now connects capitals of Manipur and Meghalaya
04 Aug 2021
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The first direct flight operations between Imphal (Manipur) and Shillong (Meghalaya) was flagged off on Tuesday under the RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme — Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) of the Government of India. The operationalisation of this route fulfils the objectives of the government of establishing strong aerial connectivity in priority areas of North East India.
The aerial connectivity between the capital cities of Manipur and Meghalaya has been a long-pending demand of the people of the region. The beautiful city of Shillong is surrounded by hills from all sides. Famous for the presence of many well-reputed educational institutions, Shillong is the hub of education for the entire North East India. Apart from being the beauty and education centre, Shillong also acts as the gateway to Meghalaya, the state famous for heavy rainfall, caves, tallest waterfalls, beautiful landscapes, and its rich heritage and culture. Shillong is also famous for Elephant falls, Shillong Peak, Umiam lake, Sohpetbneng Peak, Don Bosco Museum, Laitlum Canyons.
Moreover, Shillong is the only capital city in North East to produce two football clubs that participate in the I-League, namely, Royal Wahingdoh FC and Shillong Lajong FC. In addition to these, Shillong Golf Course is one of the oldest golf courses in the country.
Due to the non-availability of any direct mode of transportation, people were compelled to cover a long 12-hour journey by road to reach Shillong from Imphal or they had to take a flight to Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati, then bus service to reach Shillong.
The completion of the entire journey took more than one day to reach Shillong from Imphal or vice-versa. Now, natives can easily fly between the two cities by opting for a flight of just 60 minutes from Imphal to Shillong and 75 minutess from Shillong to Imphal.
Shillong is the second city to be connected with Imphal under the Udan scheme. Private carrier Indigo was awarded the Imphal-Shillong route during the Round-4 Udan bidding process. The airlines are being provided Viability Gap Funding (VGF) under the Udan scheme to keep the fares affordable and accessible for the common people. The airline will be operating four flights in a week and will deploy its 78-seater ATR 72 aircraft. Currently, 66 Udan routes are operational by Indigo airlines.
Till date, 361 routes and 59 airports (including 5 heliports and 2 water aerodromes) have been operationalised under the Udan scheme. The scheme is envisaged to establish strong aerial connectivity in all states and UTs of the country which hitherto were not connected, laying the foundation of a new regional segment in India’s aviation market.
