Alliance Air carries out test flight to Pasighat in Arunachal

Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India, successfully carried out a test flight to Pasighat Airport in Arunachal Pradesh's East Siang district today, officials said.

The airline operated an ATR-42 aircraft to the airport from Guwahati in Assam and the duration of the flight was two hours twenty minutes, they said.

The aircraft landed successfully at the Pasighat Airport from Guwahati with officers of the airlines on board and paved the way for operation of commercial flights, a state government official said.

The officers along with crew members led by Vikash Sharma the Chief of Flight Safety Alliance Air, flight Inspector of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) N S Lohan and Alliance Air Coordinator T K Saha were accorded warm welcome by officials of the state.

"It was a lovely flight to Pasighat. We are really proud that we are making history. People of the state are really going to enjoy Alliance Air," Flight Inspector Captain N S Lohan said.

"This is a really historic moment for the people of the state," the Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Management of the state, Kaling Moyong, said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pema Khandu today said a new chapter in the history of Arunachal Pradesh has begun with the successful landing of the Alliance Air aircraft at the civil terminal of Pasighat at 12.30pm.

"Soon we would have the first civilian aircraft flying out of Pasighat and I am optimistic the same would follow in various ALGs of the state encompassing our state in the country"s flight map. This may look a simple step to many but is one giant leap for us," Khandu said in a statement here.

The chief minister also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the Prime Minister is taking special care of Arunachal Pradesh and the North East.

Congratulating the people, especially those from the eastern and central districts of the state, Khandu said that one great challenge has been overcome.

Commercial flights will start operating from Pasighat very soon after formalities are completed and DGCA clearance, officials said.

Under the regional connectivity scheme called UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), the Union Civil Aviation Ministry awarded the Alliance Air the route from Kolkata to Pasighat via Guwahati, while Zoom Air and True Jet have been allotted the route to Tezu in Lohit district, officials said.

Zoom Air and True Jet would fly to Tezu via Pasighat and expected to start their services in August this year, said.