The aviation show
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: November 20, 2013 -

Now that the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, has given its approval to landing of the Myanmarese private airliner, Golden Myanmar, at Tulihal Airport on November 21; all the talks that have been doing the round of boosting air connectivity in the Northeast as part of the India's 'Look East' policy and the preparations being made for the elevation of the airport at Imphal to the status of an International airport would finally become a reality.

Though many people in Manipur including those in media would find it irresistible from restraining themselves from describing the scheduled maiden touch down of the Golden Myanmar flight carrying Myanmarese delegates including the Chief Ministers of Mandalay and Sagaign Region on the runway of Tulihal airport on November 21 as 'historic', the airport at Imphal which has mainly catered to the regional commercial flight and general aviation service so far is not exactly a stranger to landing of International chartered flights on its runway in recent past.

As far as we remembered, the most recent landing of an International chartered flight at Tulihal Airport was when Chhungi, wife of Health Minister Phungzathang Tonsing, who was slowly losing battle against Cancer was brought in a barely conscious state to Imphal in a special air ambulance from Texas, USA on April 17, 2011.

Though Chhungi lost the battle and made peace with the Almighty God, her journey from Texas to Imphal, which saw Indian authorities allowing a US plane to land on the soil of Manipur for the first time ever since Second World War, had actually opened a new chapter in the aviation history of Manipur.

Nonetheless, November 21 will be still a red-letter day in the annals of Manipur's aviation history as Tulihal Airport will officially become an International airport and earned its well-deserved place in the aviation map of the world along with the touch-down of the Myanmarese private airliner on its runway carrying a host of Myamarese delegates who are coming to take part in the 10-day long annual Manipur Sangai Festival, 2013.

The flight is scheduled to land at Imphal Airport at 10 am on November 21 and depart on the same day.

However, the same airliner would land at Imphal Airport for the second time on November 24 to ferry back the Myanmarese delegates.

Though the public have been earlier given the impression that the International flight service would continue to and fro from the Tulihal airport after this 'historic' event, it has been learnt that DGCA not yet given any approval to landing of other international flights at Imphal Airport except the chartered flight of Golden Myanmar.

Of course, there are lot of homework to be done like taking care of necessary infrastructure for the Imphal airport to truly live up to its status as an International airport; but we can't help from keeping our fingers crossed that the aviation show at Imphal airport does not end along with the greater showmanship being put up by the State Government for the Manipur Sangai Festival, 2013.