Flight services start from Itanagar's new airport; Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia says efforts are on to enhance Northeast air connectivity

Jyotiraditya Scindia virtually flagged off the flight from New Delhi. The flight operated from Itanagar to Mumbai via Kolkata.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on November 29 flagged off IndiGo's flight from Itanagar to Mumbai via Kolkata and said efforts are on to enhance air connectivity in the Northeast. This is the first flight from Donyi Polo Airport at Hollongi, Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh.

Mr. Scindia virtually flagged off the flight from New Delhi. The flight operated from Itanagar to Mumbai via Kolkata. Itanagar is the 75th domestic and 101st overall destination in the IndiGo network.

In a statement, IndiGo said the second frequency between Kolkata and Itanagar will commence on December 3. Among others, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju attended the event virtually.

"We are pleased to commence operations from Itanagar which will be our 10th destination in the Northeast... over the last few years IndiGo has focussed on increasing accessibility in the Northeast and now connects seven out of eight States in the region," IndiGo's Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer Sanjay Kumar said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Scindia said air connectivity in the Northeast has been enhanced and more flights will be operated connecting the region with other places. “Now, there are 16 airports in the Northeast compared to 9 in 2013-14,” he added.

The Minister also said the efforts are on to make the Northeastern States the growth engine. “Flights from Imphal to Mandalay and from Agartala to Chittagong will be started soon as part of enhancing international air connectivity in the region,” he said.

Imphal is in Manipur and Mandalay is in Myanmar while Agartala is in Tripura and Chittagong is in Bangladesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the airport on November 19. It is the fourth operational airport in the State. 'Donyi' means the sun and 'Polo' means the moon.