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In another boost for Assam's civil aviation space, a new Guwahati-Silchar-Guwahati flight service was flagged off on Thursday in partnership with operator FlyBig.
The maiden flight to Silchar, a key town in the state which is about over 300 kilometres away from the capital city, had a total of 63 passengers against its capacity of 72. As per the agreement, these flight services will be executed in non-UDAN routes and will have a far-reaching impact on the tourism industry by improving intra-state connectivity, said tourism minister Jayanta Mallabaruah. "ATDCL (Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd) will support FlyBig through viability gap funding and weekly operation of flights in both the sectors will be decided mutually by both the parties. These flights will follow a schedule of operating at 7.30 am to Silchar from Guwahati and it will have a return journey from Silchar at 8.30 am every day," the minister tweeted after the flagging off of the flight. Last month, too, another FlyBig flight service from Guwahati-Dibrugarh-Guwahati was started. The Assam government inked a Memorandum of Understanding with Big Charter Private Limited ( or Flybig) in March this year. Under the signed understanding, a decision was made to operate flights between Guwahati-Dibrugarh-Guwahati and Guwahati-Silchar-Guwahati routes on a daily basis. Assam has a total of six-to-seven operational airports. While the flight operations will be in line with the centre's UDAN scheme, the state government will provide viability gap funding to the operator. The services will give assured connectivity and assured price as in the agreement it was decided to keep a tab on the pricing at a maximum at Rs 4, 000 per head, and any additional prices will be borne by the state. Notably, the Ministry of Civil Aviation's flagship programme, Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), has meanwhile completed five years. The first flight was launched in April 2017. The scheme was initiated in October 2016 with the objective of fulfilling the aspirations of the common citizen, with an enhanced aviation infrastructure and air connectivity in tier II and tier III cities. The government has approved the 'Revival of unserved and under-served airports' scheme for the revival and development of 100 unserved and under-served airports, helipads and water aerodromes by 2024. It is an ongoing scheme where bidding rounds are conducted from time to time for covering more destinations or stations and routes. (ANI)
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