Connecting borders with ‘historic’ UDAN, Assam CM flags off Guwahati to Dhaka direct flight service

Guwahati, July 2: Taking off higher UDAN to international boundaries, the Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off the first flight ‘SG 78’ at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. Hailing the new mode of connectivity as a landmark, the direct flight service between Guwahati to Dhaka has knitted new arenas of bilateral ties.

Terming the day "historic", CM Sonowal said that after this, the government is now looking to connect all the capitals of ASEAN, as well as Nepal and Bhutan with Guwahati. The Bombardier Q400 aircraft departed Guwahati at 11.55 a.m., while it will leave Dhaka at 1410 hours (local time) every day.

Sonowal further added that the govt has already requested the Civil Aviation Ministry to do the needful. SpiceJet Chief Marketing Officer Debojo Maharshi informed the daily flight has been launched under the International Air Connectivity Scheme (IACS).

 

Hailing the tremendous success of Regional Connectivity Scheme, CM Sonowal asserted that the achievement can be replicated in IACS as well; thereby making international air travel much more affordable and convenient for Indians. Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner in India, Shah Mohammad Tanvir Monsur, said this new flight will be a turning point in the history of connectivity between the two regions.

He said, “Before 1947, Bangladesh and Assam were part of the same region. Every day, 4,000 patients come to India for treatment, but they go to Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi. Now, they can come to Guwahati too as it has many good hospitals.”

With the launch of this new service, SpiceJet now operates two flights under IACS, besides running 43 flights connecting 24 cities under UDAN scheme. The low-cost airline currently operates a fleet of 76 Boeing 737 aircraft, 31 Bombardier Q400 planes and two B737 freighters across India.