India’s north-eastern region is set to receive another connectivity boost with IndiGo announcing flights to the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The budget carrier will start connecting Mumbai and Kolkata with Donyi Polo Airport in Itanagar later this month, adding one more domestic destination to its already extensive network.
Fights to Arunachal Pradesh
IndiGo has announced flights to the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, connecting its capital Itanagar with Mumbai (BOM) and Kolkata (CCU) through Hollongi Airport – officially called Donyi Polo Airport. This will be the carrier’s 75th domestic destination and its 101st overall.
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Photo: Airbus
Sanjay Kumar, Chief Strategy and Revenue Office, IndiGo, commented,
“We are pleased to announce Itanagar (Hollongi), as the 75th destination on the 6E network. This will be IndiGo’s first destination in Arunachal Pradesh. Over the last few years IndiGo has focused on increasing accessibility in the northeast and now connects seven out of eight states in the region. The direct flights between Kolkata-Hollongi, will connect Arunachal Pradesh to the rest of the country and international destinations on the 6E network.”
Schedule
The airline will start services from Mumbai and Kolkata to Hollongi on November 28th, with flights on all days except Wednesday. From December 3rd, it will also add a second weekly flight from Kolkata every Wednesday.
Flights will operate as per the following schedule:
| Flight no. | Frequency | Origin | Destination | Effective | Departure | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6E 6749 | Daily except Wed | Mumbai | Hollongi | November 28th | 07:40 | 12:35 |
| 6E 5312 | Daily except Wed | Hollongi | Mumbai | November 28th | 13:05 | 18:45 |
| 6E 6749 | Daily except Wed | Kolkata | Hollongi | November 28th | 11:05 | 12:35 |
| 6E 5312 | Daily except Wed | Hollongi | Kolkata | November 28th | 13:05 | 15:00 |
| 6E 0861 | Wednesday | Kolkata | Hollongi | December 3rd | 08:55 | 10:30 |
| 6E 0376 | Wednesday | Hollongi | Kolkata | December 3rd | 11:10 | 13:10 |
About the airport
The Indian government, through its regional connectivity scheme UDAN, has tried to boost connectivity in the north-eastern region of India by offering flight subsidies to airlines and developing the airport infrastructure.
Hollongi Airport received in-principle approval from the government in 2019 and was developed by the Airports Authority of India with the help of state and central governments at almost $80 million.
It has a 2,300-meter-long runway, allowing Arunachal Pradesh to host big aircraft for the first time ever. The airport infrastructure can support close to 300 passengers during peak hours and is equipped with VOR, ILS, and satellite-based procedures to allow landing at night.
Earlier this year, there were plans to make the airport fully operational by August 15th, coinciding with the 75th year of India’s independence, but that did not materialize. Last month, IndiGo performed a successful test landing at the airport to gauge its preparedness for future operations.
What do you think about the extent of air connectivity in northeast India? Please leave a comment below.
Source: simpleflying.com
