First Test Flight Lands At India’s Newest Airport In Arunachal

Itanagar:

A test flight operated by budget carrier IndiGo today landed successfully at the newly-constructed Donyi Polo Airport near Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh, ahead of the airport’s official inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 28.

Water cannons greeted the Airbus A320 aircraft after it landed at India’s newest airport.

Arunachal Pradesh now has two operational airports, one at Pasighat and the other at Tezu. However, since both these airports are far away from state capital Itanagar, passengers have to travel for six to ten hours to take flights from either Dibrugarh or Guwahati in Assam.

Now, this new greenfield Donyi Polo Airport will help ease connectivity and boost tourism in the state, officials said.

On April 27, 2017, the Prime Minister had launched the first flight under the Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik, or UDAN, scheme. The initiative aims to connect small and medium cities with big cities through air services. The Pasighat and Tezu airports in Arunachal Pradesh now operate flights under the UDAN scheme.