The Hindu Business Line : Domestic carriers plan regular flights to N-E

The boom of Pratt & Whitneys and Rolls Royce engines will soon resonate in the misty hills of the North East with major domestic carriers planning regular landings.

Winging on several route expansion programmes, Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Indian , has begun operating more daily flights `to and from' Guwahati.

The airline has added 53 more flights, taking the total to 114 flights per week. "We had to curtail some of our operations (in January 2006) to certain sectors due to non-availability of trained pilots. Now that we have recruited adequate operational staff, Air Alliance is raring to go to every possible destination in the North East,'' said a senior official of the airlines.

The carrier flies 17 B 737s and 53 ATR aircraft to various destinations in the North East.

Kingfisher Airlines has entered into a tie-up with the North East Tourism Development Council (NETDC) to promote North Eastern States as tourist spots.

"Our flights are already landing in Guwahati, Agartala and Dibrugarh airports. These places are also linked to facilitate inter-region travel. We have several expansion plans and are thinking of entering into tie-ups with players in the hospitality sector in this region,'' said a source at Kingfisher Airlines.

Jet Airways operates 105 flights every week to the North East.

It plans to expand its services "but will be in a position to do so, only after commissioning more aircraft,'' said a senior official.

Air Sahara, which operates one Delhi - Dibrugarh flight (via Guwahati), has no immediate plans to spread wings.

But top officials of the airlines see business potential in developing the region into a holiday destination.

THE VIABILITY FACTOR

"Operational viability on this sector is a bit low; but it can be developed into a tourist hot spot if aviation and hospitality infrastructure is upgraded,'' said the Air Alliance official.

According to air operators, operational costs are higher on this sector. Seat occupancy is near full only in flights to Guwahati.

Intra-region flights are not "satisfactorily occupied''. Only two airports - Guwahati and Agartala - have night-landing facilities.

Moreover, atmospheric conditions of the region rules out possibilities of evening and dawn flights, they say.

DEVELOPMENT ON THE WAY

"There are plans (incorporated in the Eleventh Plan) to upgrade and modernise airports in the region. The Council is also helping State Governments (of North East) to upgrade their civil aviation infrastructure. We also have plans to develop Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland as tourism and cultural destinations,'' said Mr H.V. Lalringa, Secretary, North East Council (NEC).

NEC is an advisory body constituted by an Act of Parliament for the economic and social development of the North East.

"It is good if they are landing here with a definite plan. But many a time, airlines land here to abide by a Government stipulation, which makes it mandatory to operate at least 10 per cent of their Category I services (linking metros) to North East destinations and the Andamans and Nicobar Islands,'' said a senior bureaucrat at the Department of Tourism, Guwahati.

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