The commercial flight commenced for the first time in Tezu airport located in the Loha district of Arunachal Pradesh on August 19. FlyBig Airlines, with its regional jet ATR 72 aircraft, took off its first flight from Guwahati and arrived at Tezu airport, covering the flight duration of 1 hour. Arunachal Pradesh chief minister, Prem Khandu, flagged off this maiden flight through virtual medium along with FlyBig’s president and Captain Mr. Sanhay Mandavia. Mr. Khandu tweeted for the preservation of footage of the first commercial flight service for posterity. As per the vision for regional air connectivity by PM of India Narendra Modi, Tezu is the seventh domestic destination in the North East of India under the UDAN scheme by the Government of India. Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN), or Let the common citizen of the country fly regional connectivity scheme seeks to develop and operationalize the airports and make air travel affordable for the general public through low-fares.
Tezu has become the second Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) in the Arunachal state following Pasighat in East Siang district, to commence commercial flight operations as CM signified the formal commencement of commercial flights in Tezu airport. ATR-72 regional jet of FlyBig got the traditional cannon salute after its successful maiden flight by the Tezu airport fire team.
After attending the virtual inaugural flight event, Khandu stated about the connectivity that operationalization of Tezu airport will boost and facilitate reliable and easy transportation to perform economic, business, and health-related activities. He also added that the inclusion of Tezu in India’s aviation map is predicted to boost up tourism activities in the frontier China-bordering states. Meanwhile, a large group of Indian Army and paramilitary personnel will also have a swift travel opportunity to and from home. Not only this, they only need to pay Rs 75 as one way-fare till December 2021 on Guhawati-Tezu and Guwahati-Pasighat flights operated by FlyBig Airlines.
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As per CM, a glorious chapter has been written in the history of Arunachal. Tezu airport is expected to connect the remote and small places while uplifting the trade and tourism in the northeast region of India. As regular flights connecting Guwahati and heading towards Kolkata level up, it can attract visitors from other parts of the country.
Minister of Civil Aviation, Nakap Nalo, and MP of Arunachal East elevated the debut flight ceremony. FlyBig will operate the frequency of four flights in a week on the Guwahati-Tezu route. FlyBig has envisaged serving the unserved and underserved airports to the key airports, and with this newly added route, it has commenced an air route network in 10 out of 16 routes in the northeast of the country under a regional connectivity scheme.
Regarding the flagging up event at Tezu airport, Ravi Kant, regional ED of Airports Authority of India, thanked the government of Arunachal Pradesh and FlyBig for launching flights offering affordable fares on short-distance routes.
Tezu is a beautiful place in the Lohit district, encompassing several and significant historical and religious places. Such places are the center of attractions for travelers who are wandering to witness those beauties. Tezu Airport will cater to these visitors to come to Tezu.
AAI released a statement regarding the opening of the Guwahati-Tezu route. As per the statement, this inaugural route is a success story for the RCS-UDAN route in the northeast after the air operators achieved the bids for air service operation on many routes in the region such as Shillong, Silchar, Imphal, Dibrugarh, Agartala, etc.
Redevelopment of Tezu airport
AAI is redeveloping Tezu airport as a part of the government’s thrust to equip the airport with infrastructures. Tezu airport will be facelifted with constructing a new terminal building and expansion of runway and apron, new Air Traffic Controller Tower. AAI has designated 4200 square meters for new terminal buildings. The estimated cost of this development is Rs 140 crore. The new facility can accommodate about 200 people during peak hours. The redevelopment project also provides ATR-72 aircraft parking and is set to be completed by the coming year in different stages.
About Tezu airport
Tezu Airport is a public-owned airport operated by the Airports Authority of India, located at the elevation of 769/234m at Tezu. The commencement of revenue flight operations here is the beginning of a new Civil Aviation journey for travelers in the northeastern state. As the state shares international borders with Bhutan, China, and Myanmar, Tezu airport is a vantage point, all set to acquire air connectivity and embellish air transportation to several high altitude districts around the India-China border.
