Maiden commercial service by ‘Made in India’ aircraft connects Assam & Arunachal

GUWAHATI: In a boost to air traffic in the north east with the rest of India, the first commercial service by a ‘Made in India’ aircraft connected Dibrugarh in Assam and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday.

The 17-seater Dornier 228 aircraft, manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), is one of only two leased by public sector enterprise Alliance Air to connect Dibrugarh with five places in Arunachal Pradesh – Pasighat, Ziro, Tezu, Mechuka and Tuting – as part of Centre’s UDAN initiative.

“Overjoyed and proud to embark on the 17-seater ‘Made in India’ Dornier 228 aircraft in its first ever maiden service,” Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was among the first passengers, tweeted.

“This will connect the airstrips of Arunachal Pradesh with Assam, and soon with other regions. Indeed, a new chapter in India’s ‘Look East’ policy,” he added. Union law and justice minister Kiren Rijiju, who’s from Arunachal Pradesh, was also present on the occasion.

HAL has been manufacturing the Dornier aircraft after the transfer of technology from the German firm. This is the first time that the only civil aircraft made in India is being used for commercial purposes to ferry passengers.