On Monday, the Minister of Tourism in Assam, Jayanta Mallabaruah, gave the green light to FlyBig’s flight services from Guwahati to Dibrugarh. In total, 64 passengers boarded the flight from the Lokapriya Gopinath Borodoloi International Airport in Guwahati.
This flight route between Guwahati and Dibrugarh, as well as Guwahati and Silchar was established through an agreement between the Assam government and FlyBig, a private charter company. This agreement was made in order to boost the internal air connectivity of Assam, a state that has around seven operational airports.
The Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN, initiated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, marked its five-year anniversary earlier this year with the first flight taking off in 2017. This scheme aims to increase accessibility and affordability of air travel in tier two and three cities. Under the existing agreement, the maximum price for a flight ticket has been set at 4,000 rupees with the state government bearing any additional costs.
As part of the Revival of Unserved and Under-Served Airports scheme, the Indian government will be revamping 100 un-serviced or poorly serviced airports, helipads and water aerodromes by 2024. Round of bidding for additional routes and destinations will be conducted periodically in order to serve more customers.
FlyBig is a private charter company established in 2020 by Kapil Kaul, an experienced aviation executive with over two decades of experience. Planting its feet firmly in the business of private charters, the company has put a spotlight on regional connectivity in India and aims to uphold the highest safety standards and provide more passengers with economical air travel.
Jayanta Mallabaruah, the Assam government’s tourism minister, has been crucial in achieving this goal and is actively working to ensure the successful implementation of the regional connectivity scheme in Assam. The minister also made sure that the agreement with FlyBig includes a maximum cap on ticket prices to make it affordable for all. He believes that the success of the UDAN scheme will provide a great boost to the tourism industry in the state.
