- NET Web Desk
The Union Ministers – Jyotiraditya Scindia & Kiren Rijiju boarded on Alliance Air’s made-in-India Dornier 228 aircraft for its first commercial flight on the Dibrugarh-Pasighat route on Tuesday.
Accompanied by senior government officers, both the ministers boarded the flight at the Mohanbari airport in Assam’s Dibrugarh for Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh.
The first civil operations received a traditional welcome through water cannons at Passighat in Arunachal Pradesh.
Traditional welcome for the first Alliance Air made in India Dornier 228 by water cannons at Passighat in Arunachal Pradesh pic.twitter.com/NhNVaoMmIK
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) April 12, 2022
Overjoyed and proud to embark on the 17 seater Made-in-India Dornier 228 aircraft – in its first ever maiden service to Arunachal Pradesh! Jai ho! @KirenRijiju pic.twitter.com/nEuUykrvAC
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) April 12, 2022
Alliance Air – a state-owned aircraft carrier, became the country’s first commercial airline to operate an indigenously-built plane for civil operations. Dornier 228 planes have only been utilized by the armed forces till date.
In February 2022, Alliance Air agreed to lease two 17-seater Dornier 228 aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, a government-owned company. While, on April 7, 2022, the airline received its first Dornier 228 plane.
Its worth noting that connectivity along NER is critical, and the concerned ministry has designated NER as a priority area under the “Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN)” – Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), boosting inter and intra connectivity for the region.
