Guwahati Along With Other NE Capitals To Be Connected With Major South East Asian Cities

Guwahati: There is no direct connectivity between the Northeastern region of India and the major South East Asian cities despite the geographical proximity.

In order to solve this impending issue, Guwahati, along with two other capital cities of Northeast - Agartala and Imphal, is all set to get connected with eight major cities of South East Asia.

Under the Ministry of Civil Aviation's UDAN scheme, the flights will operate on the following routes - Agartala-Dhaka(Bangladesh), Agartala-Chittagong(Bangladesh), Guwahati-Bangkok(Thailand), Guwahati-Kathmandu(Nepal), Guwahati-Yangon(Myanmar), Guwahati-Hanoi(Vietnam), Imphal-Mandalay(Myanmar), Imphal-Bangkok and Imphal-Kunming (China).

On the other hand, operations along the international routes of Agartala-Dhaka and Agartala-Chittagong are likely to commence within the next six months. Tenders will soon be floated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), inviting expression of interest from private airlines wishing to operate along the routes.

Under the Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme, the Ministry of Civil Aviation aims to connect India's smaller cities directly to major foreign destinations in the neighbourhood.

Earlier, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said on February 19 that operations of passenger aircraft from Agartala airport to two important Bangladesh cities - Dhaka and Chittagong - would be started soon.

Taking to Twitter, the Chief Minister said: "Finally, MBB Airport in Agartala is now set to have international flight service with Dhaka and Chittagong. My heartfelt thanks to Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji and Civil Aviation Minister Shri JM Scindia Ji for this initiative to fulfil the dream of the people of Tripura.

"The proposed international flight service with Bangladesh will surely boost Tripura's tourism and take the State to a new height in terms of air connectivity. It will also benefit the people of Bangladesh in various ways and strengthen the cordial relation between the two countries," Deb said in another tweet.

The Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport in Agartala became ready to operate international flights after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new integrated terminal building on January 4.

Also read: Tripura: Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport to Cater Direct Flight Services to Dhaka & Chittagong

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