Low-cost airline Spice Jet promises connectivity between Assam's Lakhimpur, Jorhat

Low-cost airline Spice Jet will soon connect Assam's northern district of Lakhimpur with Jorhat in the south.

The airline's Chief Managing Director, Ajay Singh, made the announcement at Advantage Assam-Global Investors Summit'18 in Guwahati on Saturday.

The move will, if it comes through, will form part of Centre's UDAN or Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), an initiative taken to make air travel to India's tier 2 and 3 cities affordable and at the same time putting remote regions of the country on country's aviation map.

"For India to grow, it is critical that North East grows. And, Northeast cannot grow without connectivity. Spice Jet connects cities of Guwahati, Silchar and Dibrugarh to other parts of the country. And under UDAN, we will soon be connecting Lakhimpur and Jorhat," Singh said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the summit.

The two-day event, starting today, will showcase the state's manufacturing opportunities and geostrategic advantages to foreign and domestic investors.

The summit has been organised by the Assam Government, in association with the industry body the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), aiming to position the state as India's Expressway to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.

There are a number of focus sectors, identified by the state, which includes agriculture and food processing, organic farming, bamboo, handloom, textile and handicrafts, inland water transport, riverfront development and logistics.