The first direct flight operation between Imphal and Shillong was flagged off yesterday under the RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) of the Government of India.
Officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airport Authority of India (AAI) were present during the launch of the flight operations. Shillong is the second city to be connected with Imphal under the UDAN scheme.
The aerial connectivity between the capital cities of Manipur and Meghalaya has been a long-awaited demand of the people of the region.
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, people can easily fly between the two cities by opting for a flight of just 60 minutes from Imphal to Shillong and 75 minutes from Shillong to Imphal.
Indigo Airlines was awarded the Imphal-Shillong route during the UDAN-4 bidding process. The airline is 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.
