Aerial connectivity in theNortheasthas got a major boost with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi inaugurating the firstGreenfieldairport inArunachal PradeshDonyi PoloAirport at Hollangi, Itanagar.
He had laid the foundation stone for this airport in February 2019 and state-run Authority of India (AAI) completed the work in time despiteCovid. While the region had nine operational airports till 2014, seven more have been built since then taking the number up to 16 with pans for many more in coming years.
Northeast India is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the governments ambitious UDAN-regional connectivity scheme with several routes awarded for the region.
Airports in five northeastern states, namely, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have seen flights take off for the first time in 75 years. Aircraft movement in the North-East has also witnessed an increase of 113% since 2014, from 852 per week in 2014 to 1817 per week in 2022.
Airports in five northeastern states Mizoram, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have seen flights take off for the first time in 75 years.