NE's first flight training institute inaugurated at Lilabari Airport

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the first-ever Redbird Flight Training Academy (FTA) in Lilabari Airport and dedicated it to the service of the student community here today.

Speaking on the occasion, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the inauguration of the academy would open the doors of progress and prosperity in the North East. He said that his ministry is taking steps for setting up modern heliports at Galeki and Nagaon, besides connecting Guwahati with Hanoi, Bangkok, Dhaka, and Kathmandu under UDAN international. The Union Minister also said that in the training of pilots nearly Rs 500 crore of foreign exchange is spent. However, his ministry is working to bring down the amount by establishing a new flight training academy in the country.

This flight training academy is one of the nine Flight Training Organizations (FTOs) started in the first phase of the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sarma termed the day a historic day for Assam. He said that after seven decades of India's independence for the first time a Flying Training Organization was built and inaugurated in the northeastern region. "The launch of Redbird Flight Training Academy at Lilabari Airport is a landmark development, which will always remain as a red-letter day in the aviation history of the region", Sarma observed.

The Chief Minister thanked Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and the senior management of Redbird Flight Training Pvt. Ltd. He also expressed his happiness about the fact that out of almost 100 flying training schools in India, the Redbird Flight Training Academy is the first in the Northeast. He also said that the Government of Assam has recently handed over 84 acres of land for the development of a basic strip and the construction of Isolation Bay for the purpose.

The Chief Minister further said that in the past the students and aspiring aviators had no option for flying training within the state. However, now with the inauguration of Redbird Aviation, they can complete their entire training while being close to their homes. "This FTO will provide exposure to the youth towards alternative career options in the vast field of aviation, besides flying such as aircraft engineering, flight planning & operations, MBA in Aviation Management," he remarked.

The Chief Minister said that the total yearly output at this FTO is targeted to be 200 trained pilots. He further said this FTO at Lilabari will throw open a vista of avenues like accommodation, hotel and transportation and this will open business opportunities to the locals. For fulfilling the aspirations of the youth of the state, the government will also sponsor meritorious students belonging to the poor and lower-middle-class category for 10 per cent of the seats in the academy.

Moreover, saying that the new development will prove beneficial for Lilabari Airport, which has strategic importance and is also being used by the army and Indian Air Force, Dr Sarma observed that the added infrastructure at this Airport will provide logistical support to all the Small and Medium Enterprises and tea estates located around the region and provide connectivity to areas previously inaccessible.

"This will increase investment in the area and will provide access to a better standard of living, employment and trade opportunities for the local community", Dr Sarma said adding that the new initiative will also boost tourism and increase awareness about the region through the additional inflow of students, employees and visitors coming to Lakhimpur.

Stating that Lilabari Airport is an important corridor to the northeast, far distant parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, Sarma said that the airport is a corridor to several unexplored tourist places. He further said, "As Lakhimpur has connectivity to Passighat, Dibrugarh, Tezu, Itanagar that can be connected to major cities of India by making this airport a hub by operating flights to another major airport such as Mumbai, Delhi. The connectivity shall give opportunities for students and professionals for education and business".

The Chief Minister also said that connectivity of the North East has remained a major bottleneck towards the development of the region, however with the NDA Government in power; this issue has been addressed to a great extent. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi after taking charge of the country took a keen interest in improving air connectivity in North East. Under the UDAN scheme, he took the historic initiative to boost regional connectivity in the North East, which has significantly facilitated regional air connectivity by making air travel affordable for the masses.

Highlighting the steps taken by the Prime Minister to improve air connectivity, Sarma spoke about steps taken for the construction of a new Terminal at LGBI Airport and the re-opening of Rupsi Airport in Western Assam, which remained defunct for the last several decades. He also said that for modernization and expansion of the existing airports in Assam, the State government will hand over required plots of land to the Civil Aviation Department by May 10 when the present State government completes one year in office.

Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju and MP Pradan Baruah also spoke.

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