Regional aviation hub at Guwahati early next year
21 May 2011
New Delhi: With civil aviation operations in the country's north-east region coming under the scanner after a spate of high profile accidents, the civil aviation ministry has cleared the setting up of a regional aviation hub at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBI) in Guwahati. The proposed hub is expected to become operational early next year.
Plans to set up the hub were finalised at a meeting between union minister for development of the north eastern region (DoNER), Bijoy Krishna Handique, and the civil aviation minister Vyalar Ravi.
Passenger helicopter services are currently suspended following two incidents involving Pawan Hans choppers. Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu and 17 passengers were killed at Tawang in two separate accidents last month.
The meeting was also attended by chairman of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) VP Agarwal and chairman-cum-managing director of Air India, Arvind Jadhav.
Handique said regional operational hubs would be set up at Guwahati, Agaratala, Imphal and Dibrugarh airports. To start with operations would commence in Guwahati, which currently handles 40 flights a day.
Under the proposal three hangars would be set up at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. Initially, two hangars would be constructed at a cost of Rs3 crore each. The North Eastern Council (NEC) would fund the construction of the hangars, Handique disclosed.
