In a bid to boost tourism and improve connectivity, the Meghalaya government has set its sights on increasing flight options from Shillong's Umroi Airport.
Daily direct flights to Delhi are on the horizon, with tenders already issued for additional routes to major cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.
Commissioner and Secretary, Transport Department, Sanjay Goyal, highlighted the government's proactive approach in exploring new air routes for direct flights from Umroi.
He revealed that tenders had been floated to attract airlines for the aforementioned routes.
Currently, Umroi offers a bi-weekly direct flight to Delhi.
Goyal urged the public to take advantage of these flights, highlighting the time and cost savings associated with direct air travel.
He informed that the state government subsidises fares, enabling passengers to fly directly to Delhi from Umroi for a fixed price of Rs. 7,000.
On the subject of airport expansion, Goyal disclosed that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had issued tenders for a technical feasibility study to determine if Umroi's infrastructure can accommodate larger aircraft. The report is expected within the next four to six months.
Presently, due to surrounding hillocks and a runway length insufficient for bigger planes, Umroi can only handle ATR-72 aircraft despite rising demand.
Removing these obstacles is estimated to cost a significant Rs. 7,000 crore, prompting the government to commission the aforementioned audit to assess the viability of further expansion.
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