New Delhi, Oct 30, 2022, TRIPURATIMES Desk

New Delhi, Oct 30: The government on Sunday announced a new Agartala-Chittagong-Agartala route under International UDAN scheme.

Another new route, Imphal-Mandalay-Imphal too will be operationalised, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced.

These routes will expand the scope of air connectivity in the north-eastern states from national to the international level, he said.

UDAN stands for 'Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik', which is a regional airport development programme of the Government of India.

Scindia disclosed the new routes while inaugurating the operation of three flights connecting five cities of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Mizoram.

The enhanced aerial connectivity in the mountainous cities of the five states of north-eastern part of the country will play a vital role in creating the ease of living for the residents of region and boosting tourism and trade, he said.

Scindia said that the Union Government has given special emphasis on the air connectivity for the north-eastern region and pointed out that in the last eight years, seven airports have been developed in the region. 

Under UDAN scheme, 14% routes have been awarded to the north-east. Under UDAN 4.2, about 18% routes have been awarded to the northeast. A Rs 500-crore corpus has been dedicated to the air-connectivity of the northeast. Under Krishi UDAN, 25 airports have been incentivised in the region.