5-year-old girl flags off first ever Imphal-Shillong flight
Source: Chronicle News Service
Kangpokpi, August 04 2021:
The aerial connectivity between the capital cities of Manipur and Meghalaya commenced on Tuesday as the first direct flight Indigo 6E-79S9 between Imphal and Shillong took off from Bir Tikendrajit International Airport, Imphal at 9:55 am after a little passenger girl from Churachandpur district cut the launching ribbon in a simple but momentous occasion.
The long-awaited demand of the people of northeast region materialised under the government's regional connectivity scheme RCS-UDAN.
A five-year-old girl, Vahchoihoi Haokip from L Khengjang village, Leimata in Churachandpur district, was with her parents to board the first-ever Imphal-Shillong flight when she was chosen for the historic ribbon cutting to mark the launching of Imphal-Shillong flight service by Indigo Airlines.
A class I student of Loreto Convent, Shillong, Vahchoihoi, also known as Eliana Haokip, cut the ribbon in the presence of Indigo Airlines officials and her parents amid cheers from the co-passengers before boarding the flight.
It was not known as to why the little girl was chosen for the momentous ribbon cutting but it will remain a historic moment for her and the India's low-cost airline, Indigo, the largest airline in India in terms of passengers carried and fleet size.
One of the leading global carriers known for offering top-notch services at economical prices, Indigo Airlines was awarded the Imphal-Shillong route during the UDAN 4 bidding process.
The lucky girl, Eliana Haokip and her father Hengam Haokip, former leader of KSO-GHQ and her mother Jessy Kikim Haokip, nursing officer at NEIGRIHMS with other passengers flew off the air from Bir Tikendrajit International Airport and landed at Barapani Airport at 10:55 am.
Indigo had suspended its flight operations in Shillong for few months possibly owing to the COVTD-19 situation in the region after operating its flights from Shill ong to Kolkata, Silchar and Agartala prior to operating its first flight from Imphal on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Wednesday said that IndiGo started operating flights on the Imphal-Shillong route under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN, and it will be operating four flights in a week and will deploy its 78-seater ATR-72 aircraft, adding that currently, 66 UDAN routes are operational by IndiGo and Shillong is the second city to be connected with Imphal under the UDAN scheme.
It also noted that owing to non-availability of any direct mode of transportation, travellers were compelled to cover a long 12-hour journey by road to reach Shillong from Imphal or they had to take a flight to Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati, and then take the bus service to reach Shillong.
Earlier, before the aerial connectivity service, the entire journey took more than one day to reach Shillong from Imphal or vice-versa.
But now, travellers can easily fly between the two cities by opting for a flight of just 60 minutes from Imphal to Shillong and 75 minutes from Shillong to Imphal.
Comment
